1000 Wishes
by Incoherent Elegy
Summary: I will fold 1000 cranes so my wish to be with you will come true. 1000 oneshots on Sheena and Zelos.
1. 1000 Cranes

DISCLAIMER: SakuMeiMei does not own the game Tales of Symphonia. Otherwise Kratos would be way faster than he is right now and Zelos would be in your party from the very beginning.

* * *

Shihna sighed and looked at the pile of paper cranes sitting on her table. "I still have to fold 987 of them." She sighed again. _It's not like my wish will come true if I fold all of them anyways._

"Shihna?" Shihna jumped when she heard the voice. T-that's... "Whatcha doin' hunny?" Yes, it was that person. The red-haired, idiotic, philandering Chosen. Zelos Wilder. "Nothing really..." Shihna stared at the folded pieces of paper. "Oh really?" Zelos also stared at the pile. "Are you wishing for something?"

"Am I...what?! O-of course not!" Shihna's face reddened. "Hmm...you're lying. Well? What are you wishing for?"

"There's no way I'm telling you that!" _Why is it that he always knows what I'm thinking? _Zelos grinned and sat down next to Shihna. "Luck with being chief of Mizuho perhaps? Or maybe Shihna's wishing that she had better measurements or-" Shihna whacked Zelos on the head. "Just what the hell are you looking at?!"

"Aw, come on Shihna. You know how I am." Zelos rubbed his head. He was used to this by now. Every time he said something wrong he would get abused by Shihna. "So are you going to tell me what you're wishing for?"

"No!" _Because if I tell you then..._ She shook her head. "I don't think it's something you want to know."

"If it has to do with one of my hunnies I always want to know," Zelos said, hugging Shihna. "Get away from me, you pervert!" Shihna whacked him and pushed him away. "Okay, okay. So do you want any help with that?"

"Uhh...sure." Shihna stared at the paper that was still unfolded. "Do you even know how?"

"Of course I do. You taught me when we were kids." Zelos grinned and started folding a piece of paper. "There." He placed a crane in Shihna's hands. Shihna looked at the crane. "How come I don't remember?"

"Like I'd know. So I'm allowed to help you right?"

"Yeah..." It occured to Shihna that she didn't even know why Zelos was here. "Why are you here, anyways?"

"I'm not allowed to visit my voluptuous hunny once in a while?" Zelos made a pouty little kid face.

"Errr...that's not it..."

"What? You don't want me to be here? I can leave if you want."

"It's not that!"

"Then what is it, then?"

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Uhmmm...that's the first one. Yes. It'll be continued as the last one too. XD

Presea: Doesn't that make it a two-shot?

Uhhh...well that's just...WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE ANYWAYS?!

Presea: I'm still part of the cast even though you're doing the whole thing on Zelos and Shihna.

Presseeeaaaa-chan!! Go and...chop wood or blow up houses or something!! So uhmm...anyways. I hope that everybody can live through the other 999 oneshots. Yoroshiku!


	2. You Can Tell Me, Hunny

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia.

Summary Thing: Zelos senses something's wrong with Shihna when she volunteers for nightwatch three nights in a row and demands to know.

All names are spelt like they were in the original Japanese version of ToS so no complaints, okay?

* * *

Shihna shivered and looked up at the full moon in the sky. She had volunteered to be on nightwatch for the third night in a row. She didn't want to sleep for some weird reason. It was around this time...when that happened... She looked at the exsphere that was attached to her hand. _Is this really the path that I should've chose? _She heard something stirring nearby and instinctively looked in the direction that it came from. "Zelos?" The campfire barely managed to shine its light enough to show that it really was the red-haired Chosen.

"Couldn't sleep?" Shihna asked. "I should be asking you that. How could you stand not sleeping for two nights in a row?" was the reply. "T-that's..." Shihna turned away from him. "It's nothing."

"How could it be nothing if it's kept you awake for two nights and making you stare off into space and sighing all the time?" Zelos asked, kicking away his blanket and sitting down right next to Shihna. "And don't deny it either. I was watching the whole time."

"You were what?!" Shihna said, as loudly as she dared. It wouldn't be good to wake the others up. "Don't think that I'm so dense that I wouldn't notice that my hunny is depressed." Zelos snuggled up closer to Shihna. "You can tell me, hunny."

"I'm not your hunny!" Shihna backed away from Zelos. "And why would I tell a person like you?" Zelos had a slightly hurt expression on his face. "Don't say that, hunny." He hugged her tightly. "Tell me." Shihna tried unsuccessfully to pull away from him. "Zelos, let go."

"Just tell me, Shihna hunny," he said in a strangely comforting and cheerful way. "Tell me." Shihna sighed. She had no choice. Zelos was stubborn. There was no way he would stop bothering her until she told him. "I keep on remembering what happened with Volt. I still can't forgive myself, even now. I wish I could turn back time...or make up for it, somehow. Maybe if I didn't exist that would've never happened. I can't forget it. As hard as I try I can't. It's always there, telling me what a horrible person I am-"

"Shihna, there is no way you could be more horrible than me," Zelos, who was listening quietly, suddenly interrupted. "At least you had no intention of betraying anybody and you've always tried your hardest to atone for what you did." He sighed. "You shouldn't feel so guilty. It wasn't your fault."

"That's easy for you to say," Shihna said. She couldn't help but bury her face in Zelos' chest. "You weren't the cause of the deaths of people that trusted you." Zelos hummed a strange tune. "That's why you shouldn't let them down by hanging on to something of the past like that. They'd be happy if you would look forward and make Mizuho proud."

Shihna nodded, sleepily. "I will. Thank you..."And without saying anything more she fell asleep. "You can tell me anything you want any time, hunny. Eh?...Shihna?" Zelos looked down at her sleeping face. He sweatdropped. "She falls asleep when I tell her something like that eh?" He smiled and picked up his blanket and managed to drape it over Shihna. "And I guess I'll have to take over nightwatch too...oh well." He kissed her on the forehead. "Good night, Shihna." Shihna mumbled something in her sleep and smiled.

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: I didn't really like this one because I wrote it when I was sleepy. And I'm really bad in scenes with a bunch of dialogue. (Believe me. It's true.) I don't want to rewrite this one either. So it's just going to have to stay as it is.

Feel free to review and ask weird questions. I'll probably answer them eventually unless if I truly think they're irrelevant.


	3. Don't Leave Me

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia!!

Everything is spelt as they were in the original Japanese version. No complaints allowed! XD

Summary Thingermajigger: This is the scene where Zelos "betrays" the party. Contains spoilers! (Kind of...)

* * *

Shihna's eyes widened as she watched Zelos lead Collet away and handed her over to Pronyma. "What?..."

"It was just a matter of weighing you guys, the Renegades and Cruxis." This couldn't be true. He couldn't possibly be...Words left her mouth, but she didn't truly know what she was saying. "Why, thank you my voluptuous hunny." Such cold words...

_Why?..._

_Why was he leaving her? Was she not good enough?..._

"Let's go, Lady Pronyma." Tears filled her eyes and blurred her vision. "Don't leave me, you idiot!!" she heard herself shout. Did he hear it? Was he surprised? He had left.

A single tear slid down her cheek. _Why did you leave me? I never got to tell you...never got to tell my feelings. Those feelings that were in my heart, waiting to be told._

_

* * *

_

SakuMeiMei Says: Did you really think that he was going to leave you Shihna? He lurves you so much so he came back for you! Eh heh...this turned out shorter than I thought it would be and it was harder than I thought because I was only relying on my memory. It was so hard, trying to remember what everybody said! But I tried to make it as accurate as possible.


	4. Present

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia!

Summary Thingermajigger: While visiting a House of Guidance in Tethe'Alla Zelos asks Shihna about a present he gave her before she went to assasinate Collet.

All names are spelt the way they originally are in the Japanese version. No complaints allowed! XD

* * *

Shihna leaned on a fence and enjoyed the wind that was gently blowing. They were staying at a House of Guidance for the day. She sighed. "It's refreshing, isn't it?" Shihna jumped and looked to her right. Nothing was there so she looked to her left. "Zelos! How long have you been here?!"

"I've been here a while now, hunny." He laughed, like he always did. "Something on your mind?" Why did he always know what she was thinking? "Worried about your weight or something?"

"What?! Of course not!" Was he hinting that she was fat or something? She glared at the idiot Chosen. He laughed. "Well? What is it?" Shihna looked away from Zelos. "I remember that I originally came after Lloyd and the others to kill them and now I'm helping them...it feels kinda weird."

"Heh. At least you didn't betray them," Zelos said. "You didn't exactly start on the right foot with the others either, eh?" Shihna looked Zelos with her head slightly tilted sideways. Zelos chose to ignore Shihna's question. "Staring at my sexiness again, hunny?"

"E-eh?! It's not like that!!" Shihna's face turned a bright shade of red. "Don't deny it! You can't resist me either, my voluptuous hunny!" He winked at her. "I told you that it isn't it!" She whacked him on the head. "And what's with that wink?!" Zelos laughed again. "It's not funny!"

"Okay, okay." Zelos managed to stop his laughter. "Hey, Shihna. You remember that present I gave you before you went to Sylvarant?" he asked suddenly. "Eh? Oh...yeah. Of course I remember it. You gave me a ribbon. Why'd you give me a thing like that anyways?"

"Don't you think it was because I wanted to touch your hair?" Zelos asked, playfully. Of course he wasn't being serious, but Shihna didn't know that. "You gave me it because of what?!" She prepared to smack him on the head again, but Zelos caught her wrist. "I was just kidding! I seriously didn't know what to get you and I wanted it to be something that wouldn't be hard to carry around!"

"But why a ribbon?!" Shihna demanded. "Well, I wanted to get you something nobody would really want to steal," Zelos replied. "I would be so sad if it got stolen from you or you lost it." He made one of those innocent children faces that disgusted Shihna. "What kind of a person do you think I am?! Nobody would be able to steal from me!" Zelos smiled and held up Corrine's bell. "I stole this from you just now." Shihna stared at the bell and then at Zelos' face. "Give me that!" She reached for the bell. Zelos quickly snatched his hand away. "Give me a kiss and I'll consider." Zelos winked and ran away with the bell. "Come back here!" Shihna started chasing after the red-haired Chosen. She chased him around in circles. "Give that back!"

"Ha ha! No way!" Zelos was enjoying the whole chase. "Argh!" Shihna jumped on him and tackled him to the ground. "Give it back!" Zelos continued laughing. "Seriously!"

"There's no way I'm giving it to you now. You should check out the sexy position we're in right now," Zelos said, still laughing. Shihna stopped her yelling. She was right on top of Zelos and had his arms pinned down. _Oh my God. What the hell am I doing?! _More thoughts ran through her head. "I'll stop playing with you now, hunny. Really, the look on your face is starting to scare me!" He somehow managed to unpin his arm and tuck Corrine's bell into Shihna's sash. Shihna immediately got off of Zelos. She brushed herself off. If only she could brush off the redness of her face...

"The reason why I bought that ribbon was because I thought it would make you annoyed and I wanted you to remember it so you could yell at me when you came back and demand a better present," Zelos said, standing up. "You really like answering questions at random times don't you?" Shihna narrowed her eyes and couldn't help but sound irritated. "Heh heh. Well, don't you want a better present?" Zelos asked, ignoring Shihna's irritated tone. "Of course I do! Anything would be better than that ribbon!"

"So you really want another present! What would you like, hunny? Or would you like a kiss instead?" Zelos moved closer to Shihna and was awarded with a slap in the face. "Ow! Ow! Not the face!" He rubbed the reddened spot on his cheek. "Okay, okay. What do you want, then?"

"You can figure that out yourself!" Shihna stuck her tongue out at Zelos and headed back into the House of Guidance. Zelos held back a sigh. "Think of one yourself, huh?..." He twirled a lock of his hair around his fingers. "Did she even keep the present I gave her the first time?..."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

As Shihna ran up the stairs in the little church she reached into her sash and pulled out a light blue ribbon that was folded and appeared to be brand new. She smiled. _I've only had this in my hair once...just that one time when he tied it..._

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: So Shihna had kept the ribbon the whole time! Fluff, fluff, sugar sprinkles! This chapter was so...fluffy and sweet. Usually I don't go for that kind of thing, but this chapter ended up that way. I like it this way though. I'm pretty sure this chapter will look better in my doujinshi than in this format. XD Yes, 1000 Wishes is going to be a doujinshi too. But it won't be 1000 chapters long. That would kill me. I'm pretty sure quite a bit of people would want that, but I still want to live to see things I really want to see and to meet people I really want to meet. (Like Tanemura Arina, who I will forever love and adore because she's my idol. n.n;;)

This will be the last chapter for a bit since school is starting. So at most I will be able to do one fanfic a week. So I say sorry ahead of time just in case if I take too long to update


	5. Starlight

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia! I just wish I did!

Summary thingermajigger: Shihna can't sleep and she finds Zelos outside so they look at the stars together.

Everything is spelt as they are in the original version. No complaints allowed! XD

* * *

Shihna quietly opened the door of her hotel room and slipped outside. She shut the door behind her and tiptoed towards the door that lead outside. For some strange reason she couldn't sleep. She took a deep breath and stretched. "The air in Haima is the best isn't it?" Shihna barely managed to hold back a scream. "Zelos! What are you doing here?!"

The red-haired Chosen was sitting on the porch of the inn. "I couldn't sleep," was Zelos' answer, but he didn't really appear to be paying much attention to Shihna for once. He had his eyes focused on the sky. "The stars are beautiful tonight, don't ya think?"

Shihna looked up. "Yeah. They are." She sat down next to Zelos. Zelos looked at Shihna from the corner of his eye. _There is something_ _more beautiful than the stars..._ "Do you think we could see the stars better if we walked to the top of the mountain?" Shihna asked. "Eh? Is my voluptuous hunny actually inviting me to do something?"

"Grr! I shouldn't have asked you! You always answer like that!" Shihna whacked Zelos on the head. "Ow! But you never ask me to do anything!" Zelos rubbed his head. He took Shihna's hand in his. "Let's go."

"Eh?" Zelos pulled Shihna up and pulled her up the mountain. "We can see the stars better if we go up right?" he said cheerfully. Shihna nodded and tried to keep up to his pace. "You could at least slow down a bit!" Zelos just laughed and continued running.

They reached the top, almost out of breath. They took a few minutes to catch their breath. They looked up at the stars, which appeared to be brighter than before. "I feel like I could reach out and touch them..." Shihna said, turning to look at Zelos...but he wasn't there. "Zelos?..."

Suddenly Shihna found herself being picked up and somehow floating in the air. "Would you really like to touch the stars Shihna?" She was in _his_ arms. "Zelos! Let me go!" Shihna started squirming in his arms. "Whoa there, Shihna! If I let you go you'll fall!" Shihna forced herself to calm down. "But how come we're float-" Then, she noticed them. His wings. "Zelos, those-"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm the Chosen remember? Of course I have wings." Shihna couldn't stop staring at them. They were so beautiful, those yellow-orange wings that had sprouted from Zelos' back. Suddenly she found herself back on the ground again. "Sorry, hunny. I can't keep my wings out that long." Zelos' wings dissapeared. "They tire me out."

"Oh..." Shihna tried to hide the dissapointment in her voice. "Hmm? Are you dissapointed, hunny? Heh heh. Don't worry. Some time I'll take you flying with me," Zelos said, grinning. "It's a promise, okay?"

"What? You don't have to promise such a thing to me!" Shihna was about to argue with Zelos some more, but something in the sky caught her attention. She turned around. "Shooting stars..." Zelos turned around too. "Yeah..." They stood there and watched the stars fall in the sky. "Let's head back now..." The sky had returned to normal.

They walked back down to the inn. _I want to see you smile like that again...in the starlight._

"Let's do that again sometime, hunny."

"What?! No way!"

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: I barely got to finish this one in time. Because I have to sleep. It's less than five minutes till my bedtime so I'll make things short. I was actually kinda dissapointed of this one...but I can't really satisfy myself anyways. So, yeah. Nothing much to say...but SakuMeiMei will do her best and continue her quest to reach 1000 oneshots. XD 


	6. There For You

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphoni! I wish I did though...

Warning: This oneshot contains loads of fluffy sugar sprinkles, so much that people could get hyper and sugar-high while reading it. (It's really not that bad though! XD)

* * *

Shihna covered her ears and buried herself deeper in the covers of her bed. She hated thunderstorms. It wasn't the storm itself that scared her, but what it reminded her of. The incident with Volt was still fresh in her mind. It didn't matter how much time passed...it still haunted her. She jumped a little as lightning flashed, followed by the rumble of thunder.

She didn't even notice that somebody had walked into her hotel room. "Shihna?" She recognized the voice. It was Zelos...the person which she didn't want to see right now. Was there ever a time when she wanted to see him? "Are you okay?..." Zelos raised his eyebrows at Shihna cowering under her blanket. "I'm fine," Shihna replied, sounding extremely irritated. "Hmmm..." Zelos sat on the bed right next to Shihna. "Are you scared?..."

"Of course not!" Shihna protested. "You sure look scared," Zelos said, playfully. "I'm not scared!"

"You're scared, hunny," Zelos kept on egging her on. "I'm not sca-" Shihna was interrupted by a crash of thunder. "AAAAUGGHHH!!" She shrieked and hugged Zelos. "Told ya you were scared," was all Zelos said as he hugged her back. "You're hugging me really tight, you know that?" Shihna was clinging onto Zelos as if her life was depending on it.

"Uh..." Shihna pulled away from Zelos. "Sorry..." Zelos continued grinning. "Don't say sorry. I should be saying thank you for the hug." He winked at her. "You can do it again if you want." Shihna's face turned a brilliant shade of red. "Y-you-" Thunder interrupted her again and she ended up pretty much sitting on Zelos' lap. "Careful, hunny," he said, cheerfully. He was actually really enjoying the whole thing. "But why are you so afraid of thunder anyways? Aren't you the fearless violent demonic banshee?"

"It reminds me...of Volt," Shihna replied, ignoring the fact that Zelos had just called her "violent demonic banshee". "It still hasn't left you after all these years, huh?" His eyes darkened as he thought of the one thing that hadn't left him. _"You should've never been born"... _"Zelos?" Zelos snapped out of his trance. "What is it, my voluptuous hunny?"

"Were you thinking of something?..." Shihna asked cautiously. "It's nothing. Were you worried about me or something?" Zelos returned to his cheerful self. "Of course I was! We're friends aren't we?"

Friends... He was just a friend to her wasn't he? Nothing more, nothing less. He knew that. He knew that she liked Lloyd. He was just...there. But if he could hold her and comfort her every once in a while...that would be fine. "We're more than just friends. You're one of my hunnies." He kept his grin pasted on his face. "I'm not your hunny, you pervert!" Shihna picked up a pillow and whacked Zelos with it. "And just what are you touching?!" Zelos laughed. "It's not my fault! You jumped into my arms!"

"Stop giving excuses, you Idiot Chosen!" Shihna whacked him with the pillow again. "Hey!" Zelos picked up another pillow and whacked Shihna with it. "GAH!! You idiot! I'm gonna-" She got whacked with the pillow again. "Grr!" And that started the big pillow fight started. "Get back here!!" Shihna chased Zelos around the room. "No way, hunny! You're just going to hit me!"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Downstairs, Genius stared at the empty seats where Zelos and Shihna were supposed to be. "It's been half an hour and Zelos still hasn't come back from calling Shihna to dinner..." He sighed. "Oh well."

_Even when nobody will stay with you...I'll still be there for you._

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: SakuMeiMei says grararagh! I was originally going to put this up a week ago, but my internet went down conveniently right when I was going stick it on. So now I'm mad...because I wrote a bunch of random stuff and replied to the reviews on that thing. T.T And I've been busy...and stuff. Like...how I thought my grandma was going to die and I couldn't get to see her, but she got better so it's all good now. And I've been getting overloaded with random stuff...like homework. T.T

I'll answer the reviews by the tenth oneshot! I promise! Oh...and I'm wondering if I should keep the summaries at the top or to just take them out. (I'm bad at summarizing anyways.) So it'd be nice if everybody could give their opinions.


	7. Never Alone

Disclaimer: SakuMeiMei doesn't own Tales of Symphonia. She just has no life and likes playing it all the time. XD

* * *

"She's what?!" Zelos stood in the doorway of the tiny room, trying to control himself. "She ran away in this weather?!" The rain sounded more like rocks hitting the building. _What the hell is she doing?_ He unclenched his fists. "I'll go out and look for her." He grabbed an umbrella and started walking towards the door that lead outside. "W-wait Zelos! I'll go too!" Lloyd exclaimed, jumping up. Zelos turned around and looked at Lloyd. _What am I going to do if Lloyd finds Shihna first?..._ Should he be selfish and look for her all by himself or let Lloyd help search for her too? Shihna would probably be better off being comforted by Lloyd anyways. Zelos held back a sigh and walked outside. He could barely see a thing. _She better be okay..._ He looked around. _Where would she be?..._

She was probably upset about Corrine's death and running off to be depressed all by herself. Or she was going to...Zelos shook that thought out of his head. Shihna wouldn't do that. He continued walking. He wouldn't think of that. He wouldn't. She was crazy...running away in this weather. Even with the umbrella Zelos was soaked to the skin. He brushed his hair out of his eyes. Up until now Zelos had never thought of Mizuho as anything close to being big. Now, it seemed like the biggest thing existing on earth. He continued walking, getting his white shoes and pants all muddy. He could hear the others, calling Shihna's name. He headed towards the entrance. What if she was outside of the village? Or if she flew away on her rheaird? He ran outside the village. Shihna wasn't stupid enough to fly in this weather, right? And why was he moving so slow? He felt like he was moving through jello. He struggled to take another step and then he paused. Was that what he thought it was?

She was sitting under a tree, with her head buried in her knees, her usually wild black hair flattened by the rain. "Shihna?..." Shihna raised her head and immediately put it down again. This was the last person she wanted to see. Always. "Go away," she mumbled. Zelos crouched down next to her. "You'll catch a cold if you stay out here any longer," he said softly. "I don't care. Leave me alone." Shihna inched away from Zelos. She just wanted him to leave. He was always saying stupid things that made her angry. "Leave...please." Zelos gently placed his hand on her head. "Do you want Lloyd to be here instead?" Shihna looked up at him. "Eh?..."

"Do you want Lloyd to be here instead of me?" Zelos asked again, preparing for an answer that he wouldn't like. "I don't want either of you right now. I want Corrine!" Tears were streaming down her face. She pushed Zelos' hand away. "I want Corrine!" Zelos searched through his mind for something to say, but nothing that would cheer Shihna up appeared. Shihna suddenly stood up and started walking away. If Zelos wouldn't leave she would.

"W-wait, Shihna!" Zelos stood up and ran after her and grabbed her hand. Shihna tried to pull her hand free, but failed. "Let go," Shihna said, trying to stay calm. "Let go!" Why wouldn't he let her go? Why did he just have to stand there, holding her hand? She couldn't stop her tears..._Why are you still here, holding my hand? Why won't you leave me alone?..._

The umbrella dropped to the ground. "Eh?..." Zelos turned Shihna around and hugged her. "You're not alone, you know that? You're not alone. Everybody's right here. We're all here for you," Zelos whispered in her ear. "We'll always be here." Shihna stood there, not knowing what to do. Her heart was racing as he said those words. "No one was there for me the last time I lost something," Shihna said, barely above a whisper. "This time it'll be different." He pulled away from her and picked up the umbrella. "Let's go back. Everybody's really worried about you." Shihna managed to nod. She tried to walk, but her knees buckled and she crashed into Zelos. "Can't walk anymore, eh? I guess the great Chosen will have to carry you." He handed Shihna the umbrella and crouched down. "Get on." Shihna hesitantly climbed onto Zelos' back. "Hold tight, okay? I don't want to drop you." Zelos slowly got up. "Have you gained weight lately, hunny?" Shihna whacked Zelos lightly on the head. "Idiot!" Zelos laughed and continued walking back towards Mizuho. "Is it just me or did the rain just stop?" Zelos asked, looking up at the sky. Shihna looked up too. "Yeah..."

Collet and Lloyd were waiting for them as they entered the village. "Shihna! Zelos! We were so worried about you!" Zelos crouched down a bit and let Shihna get off his back. "Well, enough of that. I'm hungry and I wanna take a bath." Collet grabbed both Shihna's and Zelos' wrists and started to pull them towards Shihna's house. "We left something for you." Lloyd had to run to catch up to them. "Wait for me!" Up above, in the sky that was returning to its usual light blue colour, a rainbow hung in the sky.

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: The ending was...weird. I couldn't think of a good one so it kinda ended randomly and extremely messed up. Yush...it's messed. Very messed. So I apologize for that. I'll try to get the next chapter done for either tonight or tomorrow. I already have an idea for that one. XD It has something to do with...STRAWBERRIES. Yeah, that's right! STRAWBERRIES! BOW TO THEIR FRUITY GOODNESS! Uhh...yeah. I'll just...go...hide in a corner. 


	8. Strawberry

Disclaimer: SakuMeiMei does not own Tales of Symphonia!

Warning: This chapter is..._weird_. And kinda smexy. XD

* * *

Shihna stood on the doorstep of Zelos' house, wondering if she should ring the doorbell or not. Why was she here anyways? She had no idea. Really. She was still debating with herself as to why she was there when the door opened. "Why hello there, hunny. Were you planning on ringing the doorbell any time soon?" Shihna snapped out of her mental argument and realized that the door was indeed open and standing in it was the one and only Zelos Wilder. "Uhh..." Shihna just stood there, thinking of something to say. "Come on in." Zelos pulled Shihna into his house. "Sebastian's on vacation today so I'm all alone in the house." Was he secretly suggesting something? Shihna's face reddened when she thought about that. "Hey, Shihna. Are you okay? Your face is all red." Shihna's face reddened even more. "I-I'm fine!" Zelos raised his eyebrows. "Really...so, what brings you here?" Shihna sweatdropped. "I have no idea."

"Ooooh. I know! You came here because you couldn't resist my sexiness!" Zelos gave her a reason for coming all by himself. That would've been fine, if it wasn't a reason like _that_. "I didn't come because of tha-" Zelos laughed. "Now, now. You don't have to complain about the little details." He pulled her over to his couch, where a bowl of strawberries sat. "Open wide."

"What?" Before she could protest a strawberry was stuck in her mouth. "Mmhmmph?" Zelos smiled. "Eat it." He stuffed another strawberry into his own mouth. Shihna ate the strawberry in silence. How come she always got herself in situations like these? What was she doing here? Why was she sitting next to the red-haired idiot? And they were alone. All alone...in a big house, an empty big house. Yes, empty. Empty house...all alone with a philanderer. Great. Shihna snuck a glance at Zelos. "Hmm? Admiring my looks again, hunny?" Shihna stiffened. "Sh-shut up!" Zelos chuckled and picked up another strawberry. "You're really quiet today," he said. "I have nothing to say to an idiot like you," Shihna replied, feeling slightly annoyed. "Oh, really?" Zelos asked, challenging her. "Really." Zelos stuck the strawberry in her mouth. "You're so cruel, hunny." Shihna wanted to protest but there was a huge strawberry stuck in her mouth. There was no way she was going to be able to swallow the whole thing. "I'll help you with that," Zelos said, seeing how Shihna was struggling. _Goddess Martel...SAVE ME!_ Shihna wanted to shrink away from the red-haired man, whose face was getting a bit too close to hers. She felt his breath on her cheek. She found herself inching towards the other end of the couch. Zelos bit half of the strawberry and pulled away. Shihna knew that her face was probably as red as the strawberries by now. "Huummm hmmm..." Zelos hummed some kind of weird tune.

Shihna swallowed with difficulty. "What did you do that for?!" she demanded. "You looked like you were having trouble," Zelos answered, cheerfully. "Y-you!" Shihna tried to find the right words to say. Zelos continued humming. Shihna looked away from him. She should've never come here. Half of her wanted to leave and the other half wanted her to stay. But, why? Why would she want to stay? She turned to tell Zelos that she was leaving when she noticed. In his mouth...was a strawberry. It was just telling her that it wanted to be eatten. "Hmm?" Shihna sat there for several seconds, staring at Zelos' mouth while he had question marks floating all around his head. She was trying to resist biting it. And Zelos managed to figure out what was going on in Shihna's head somehow. He moved forward just a bit. Shihna shook her head, but Zelos just leaned forward more. Now, she _really_ couldn't resist. She took a bite out of the strawberry. Zelos made strange happy sounds as he finished off the rest of his strawberry. "So you really can't resist my sexiness."

"W-what? No!" Shihna stuttered. "Then, why did you do that?" Zelos asked, still cheerful. "T-that's..." Zelos grinned. "See! You can't resist me!" "I didn't say that!" Shihna defended herself. "Stop denying it, hunny. Everybody can see that you love me." Shihna smacked him. "I do not!" Zelos rubbed his head. "Yes, you do! I bet you smack me because you love me!" Shihna smacked him again. "I do not!" "There you go, again!" Zelos whined. "You hit me when I talk to other girls too!"

"That's because you deserve it!" Shihna glared at Zelos. "You're always flirting with other girls!" Zelos' eyes brightened. "I see it, now. I see it!" Shihna was flustered. "See...what?" Zelos ruffled Shihna's hair. "You're jealous!" Shihna pushed his hands away. "I AM NOT!" "You are!" "Am not!" "Are too!" The ninja and the perverted Chosen continued argueing. "You're jealous!" "I told you that I'm not!" "Stop denying it! You are! You're jealous!"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The next day a few of Zelos' groupies came over to his house and asked him what all the noise coming from his house. All that Zelos told them was that someone came to visit. And that wasn't only the suspicious thing. His fangirls were still wondering why Zelos had something that looked like a black eye...

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: This oneshot was...weird. Very weird. I kinda started getting artist's block in the middle of things and everything went downhill from there. And I know I promised that I was going to put this up last week, but things came up and I didn't get time to do it until now. I really need to get some free time...but I tried hard. XD And I know Shihna is out of character. But the real Shihna wouldn't eat a strawberry directly from Zelos' mouth right? Or let him eat one from hers, eh? So I had to brainwash her. Buahahaha! But she's back to normal now. So don't worry. She'll be her usual self for the next one. Well? Did you get the smexy Zelos kind of feeling? XD I don't know why, but I did...probably because my imagination is a bit weird.

I'm still considering sticking this one in the doujinshi...I don't think it would be too bad, but I'll probably end up getting nosebleeds while drawing it. XD Even though I'm not known for nosebleeds...more like getting a really red face. Whenever I draw something kind of sexy my face gets really red. XD


	9. Your One and Only

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia...or Zelos...or Shihna. Wish I owned Zelos though, so he could be my love slave.

Warning: SPOILERS! BIG SPOILERS! Spoilers on uhh...so and so's death.

* * *

The sky was golden orange. Golden orange like his wings...yes, his wings. Shihna looked out the window of his bedroom. Why did he do that anyways? Why did he have to do that? Didn't he know that everybody would've wanted him to live? She held back her tears. If she started crying she knew that she wouldn't be able to stop. She had stopped by...just to explore his room...and remember. She got up from her chair and stepped into his huge walk-in closet. Did a man really need that many clothes? She tiptoed inside, as if it was a sacred place. She reached out and touched his long pink vest. She had always wondered exactly what kind of material his clothes were made of. She ran her fingers along the hem of the vest. Something fell out and landed on the floor. "Huh?..." She bent down and picked it up. "A letter?..." She turned it around. "It's for me?..." Well, if it was for her then she could open it right? She ripped open the envelope and took out the letter...

_Dear Shihna,_

_When you read this I probably won't be here any more. I'm sorry. This whole time...I've been tricking you. Even if if I asked for your forgiveness a million times...you probably wouldn't forgive me anyways. I've been such a horrible person. I've told so many lies. So many lies that I didn't really know what the truth was any more. My whole life...was a lie. Everything that I did was a big act. I'm so sick of that. I want to stop acting for once. I want to be someone who can show my true feelings. I wanted to show my real feelings to you...just once. Once would be enough. Just to tell you...I wouldn't mind dying. Not that matters...I saw that coming. The pretty boys always die young, right? It's okay...really. It's fine this way. If I leave you alone you'll probably be happier. Now that I'm gone...you can find that special someone. I'll let you go now. I won't bother you any more. Go and find your one and only._

_Good bye,_

_Zelos_

Shihna couldn't hold back her tears any more. A few of them splashed onto the page, blurring some of the letters. She slumped to the ground. "You idiot..." She wiped away a few of her tears, even though she knew that it wouldn't help much. "My one and only...was you."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: That was kinda short wasn't it? It was really short...but I don't like thinking of Zelos' death. It makes me sad. Very sad. I don't like killing Zelos...because I love him. I also happen to play as him. Naturally you would make the comment of "Couldn't you use Kratos?" I...can't. XD It's really sad...I'm not that great with Kratos even though I do perfectly fine with Zelos. I have some kind of serious malfunction with my head or something. I don't like seeing Shihna cry either. Shihna crying for Zelos during his death scene was so sad!

The letter was originally going to be longer...but then I decided to just keep it the way it is. Keh keh keh...and am I the only one that wonders exactly what Zelos' clothes are made of?...

And yes, MoonlitInuko. You can do a fanart thingy based on my fanfic. XD I don't mind...just show it to me later! XD I replied to this review early...because I really don't know when the next oneshot's going to come up. I have a deadline. Yush...it's...actually two days from now and I haven't really even started on my super special birthday present for my wonderful idol Tanemura Arina. Yush, SakuMeiMei loves her very much. So much that she squeals every time she sees Arina's work. XD


	10. Take Your Chances

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia...really.

* * *

"It's a nice day today, isn't it?" Shihna asked, looking up at the clear, blue sky which only had one or two clouds in it. "Shihna, you're starting to talk like an ooolllddd wooommmannn!" Zelos pointed out. "What was that?!" Shihna smacked him on the head. "Those two never change, eh?" Lloyd asked, sweatdropping. "Nope," Collet and Genius replied at the same time. "Hey, you two. We came here to have fun...not to beat each other up." More like...Shihna was the one beating Zelos up.

The party actually wanted to have fun in Altamira for a day since they hadn't seen each other in a while, but Proffesor Sage, Regal and Presea said they were busy so only the five of them ended up going, even though Regal and Presea would probably be in Altamira anyways. "The map says that there's a new event!" Collet said, pointing at a spot on the big bulletin board. "It says it's a haunted house...or something." Lloyd looked over Collet's shoulder. "It sounds fun! Let's go!" Zelos brushed himself off. "Sounds good. Let's go." Shihna hesitated. _A haunted house?..._ "I'll pass," Genius said. "Eh?...Are you _scared_, Genius?" Zelos hovered over the little half-elf. "Nah, I just wanna go on the roller coaster," Genius said, with an annoyed expression on his face. "I'll go with you, Genius!" Collet said. They ran off towards the rollercoaster line. "Well, that leaves us three, huh?" Zelos pushed Shihna towards Lloyd. "Here's your chance." Shihna turned around and looked at Zelos. "My chance for what?..." Zelos placed his hand on Shihna's head. "You and Lloyd." Shihna's face reddened. "What? I don't like Lloyd like tha-" "Yeah, yeah."

Still...as he watched them walk into the haunted house together...was this jealousy? Zelos smirked. _No way..._ He was the great, sexy ex-Chosen, Zelos Wilder, right? There's no way he would be jealous of Shihna walking off with another guy. Right?...He stepped inside.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Shihna shivered. _I really don't like this place..._ The room was barely lit enough for her to see where she was going. "It's kinda...creepy isn't it?" Lloyd nodded. "Yeah..." Suddenly, the lights totally went out. "Eh?!" Shihna looked around. It was pitch black. "Lloyd?...Where are you?" She stepped backwards and crashed into something. "Eeeeeyyahh!"

"Shihna?..." That voice. "Z-Zelos?" The lights turned back on. It was really Zelos. "What happened to Lloyd?" he asked. "Eh?" Shihna turned around. Lloyd had dissapeared. "He was still here before the lights went out..." Zelos sighed. "We'll just go looking for him after we get out of here." Shihna nodded. "The sooner we get out of here the better..." They started walking down the hall. "Are you scared?" "W-what are you saying? There's no way I would be scared of a silly thing like thi-" At that moment a white thing came flying by, howling something. Shihna shrieked and grabbed onto Zelos' arm. Zelos laughed. "I didn't think Shihna would be scared of something like this." Shihna buried her face in Zelos' arm. "Is there something wrong with it?" Zelos patted Shihna on the head with his free arm. "Am I going to have to carry you out of here?" Shihna shook her head. "N-no...I'll be fine." She let go of his arm. "Really?" Zelos asked, his eyebrows raised. "Really..."

They continued walking. "You could've been clinging to Lloyd just now," Zelos said. "What's with you and sticking me and Lloyd together?" Shihna demanded. "He likes Collet!" Zelos sighed. "But you like Lloyd too, don't you?" Shihna opened her mouth to say something, but nothing would come out. Did she like Lloyd?...She did. But did she like Lloyd because she wanted to stop herself from liking someone else? A certain someone else who was right next to her right now? "If you truly like Lloyd, take your chances." Shihna stopped walking. "Zelos, do you have someone you like?..."

"Hmm?...Oh. She's beyond my reach now. There's no point in chasing after her any more," Zelos replied, taking care not to reveal any of his feelings. "Hurry up, Shihna. I'll leave you behind," he said, cheerfully. "E-eh?" Shihna ran to catch up to him. There was no way that he would leave her behind here. "Wait!" Zelos turned around. "Hmm? You're scared that I'm going to leave you behind?"

"Don't leave me behind, you idiot!" She almost caught up to him, but she tripped on something. "Oomph." Zelos managed to catch her. "Careful there, my voluptuous hunny." Shihna grumbled about something that Zelos couldn't make out. It sounded like "You idiot. I'm going to kill you when we get out of here", but he wasn't really sure. "Come on, my clumsy hunny." He smiled and took hold of her hand. "Uhh...yeah." Shihna struggled to keep up to Zelos' pace. _How come he always knows what I'm thinking and I'm always clueless about what he's thinking? _

Finally, they reached the exit. "Well...that wasn't too bad now was it?" Zelos asked. Shihna pulled her hand away from Zelos'. "T-thanks."

"Hey...isn't that Lloyd?" Zelos pointed at something that was red and had a lot of buttons. "Hey! Lloyd!" The kid in red turned around. "Zelos! Shihna! I was looking all over for you guys!" Zelos sweatdropped. "And we were looking for you...What kind of a man are you? Leaving a girl alone like that..." Lloyd sweatdropped. "Uhh..." Genius and Collet came back from the rollercoaster. "Oh well...should we go get something to eat? We're all back." "Sure..." Lloyd replied, getting the feeling that Zelos was actually angry about something. "Did something weird happen?" Genius whispered to Shihna. "Zelos is acting all weird..." Shihna shrugged. She watched Zelos walking away. _Beyond your reach, huh?..._

_If there's really someone you like...then why don't you take your chances?_

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: She says that she's hungry...really hungry. So she should eat, but she really loves her readers so she's going to finish her fanfiction first. And answer her reviews. Yush. Her reviews. Yer so lucky.

**Euvany- **Thanks for being the first one to review my stuff. I lurve you! XD And thanks for pointing out my weird spelling mistake too...

**PreseaGrrL- **Uhmm...Chapter 6...the italics would be...who knows? Really. I don't know...it could be either of them or both of them. A lot of the time I like leaving random phrases at the end of chapters for the readers to look at and wonder about. (This is common in my mangas too. XD) Thanks for reviewing!

**MoonLitInuko- **Err...I'll try to end my oneshots better...but it's so hard...because I keep on thinking about my doujinshi when I write and ending them in weird ways make them perfectly fine or something. (That just sounded really weird.) But I'll continue trying my hardest! XD And thank you for giving me fanart. It makes me so happy! Really...the next day when I went to school I was hyper. (It's a rare occurence...it basically never happens.) So I freaked my friends out. Thanks for everything! Keh keh keh...

**Midnight Silver Okami17- **Keh heh. Thanks for reviewing! And yush...that scene from that place in that place during that scene where this happens right? XD (I know what you're talking about...I'm just attempting to confuse myself and everybody else, but failing horribly.) And I shall "Go! Go! Power up! SakuMeiMei Genki Genius Energy!" my way up to the 1000th oneshot. And I'll try my hardest to actually make oneshots that I like. XD

**Maxmagnus20019- **Thanks for reviewing!! And thanks for the support too! XD

**whiterose2406- **Yush, pillow fights are really fun. (Which exactly why my friends say I'm dangerous...) Yeah...there's really no Sheelos love nowadays. It's like..."WHERE HAVE ALL THE FANS GONE?!" That kind of feeling. So we have to leave it up to ourselves to keep it alive. XD Good luck on your fanfiction too! (I read it. XD)

And now...I shall actually talk about the chapter. It was a haunted house. Not really...Despite what you might think though, I'm not pairing Collet and Genius together. I'm seriously hoping nobody was thinking that when they ran of to the rollercoaster together. They're just friends! XD I'm a Colloyd fan! But of course...Colloyd can't beat my very own Zeloshi. Luff luff! Zeloshi forever! The ending was...crappy as usual. Guuuhh...I'm hungry. That's why the ending was even worse than usual. I'm HUNGRY! So I'm gonna go eat...

But I'm not done talking about the chapter yet so I'll finish that up really fast. Shihna was acting un-Shihnalike again, eh? Oh well...I'll try to do better next time. XD Zelos was a bit...strange too.


	11. Closet

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia...really. I've been telling you for the last 10 chapters. XD

* * *

Exactly how did she manage to get herself in these kinds of situations anyways? Was the goddess of bad luck smiling down upon her or something? This was supposed to be just a normal visit to Zelos' house. Why were his groupies here anyways? They were always there when she didn't want them to be. Shihna held back a sigh. Did they suspect that she was doing something with Zelos? Like that was possible...

Even if she _did_ have a relationship with Zelos like that she wouldn't make it so obvious by going to his house all the time. Of course, she didn't. She had no intention of that ever happening either. "So, Shihna...how long have you known Master Zelos?" Why did she want to know a thing like that? "Hmm...I've known him since I was a kid so-" "Then you probably know a lot about him, right?" How long would she have to deal with these weird questions and their squeaky voices? And where was the idiot anyways? Shouldn't Zelos be dealing with his fangirls and not her? What was he doing up there anyways? "I guess so," Shihna replied. _That is...all of his bad things._ She faked a smile. "Master Zelos is taking a long time isn't he?" the girl sitting next to the one asking all of the weird questions said, pointing out the obvious. In fact she had said that a total of five times since Zelos went upstairs. Which was only...at most ten minutes. "Well, let's go see what he's doing!" Groupie Member Number Three said, giggling. "Okay!" More giggling. "Come with us, Shihna!" Shihna let herself get pulled by one of them up the stairs. _If I was a less decent person these three would be dead by now. _She continued to hide her annoyance. "Master Zelos!" Was it really okay to just run into his room like that?

The girls looked around his room, still giggling. "It doesn't look like he's here." Oh, great. Maybe he took the chance to jump out the window and run away. That's probably what she would've done...and it was Zelos so that chances of that happening were pretty high. He was just the type to leave her here and come back later, laughing his head off...and no matter how many times she hit him, he would go on laughing. Somehow he would end up making her laugh too. He was just so weird that way.

"Maybe he's in here!" Suddenly Shihna found herself in Zelos' walk-in closet with the door banging shut behind her. She heard the lock turn. _Oh, great... _They had locked her in a closet. _Zelos'_ closet. Wonderful. Just...how the hell was she going to get out of here? "Hmm?..." Was somebody else in this closet with her or was it her imagination? "Shihna? What are you doing in my closet?" What was Zelos doing the in the closet? "Uhh...that's..."

"Did my fangirls lock you in here?" Shihna stood there and stared. "How did you know?..." "They do that every time somebody who appears to be closer to me than usual," Zelos replied. "They've done it a couple times already...but I never ended up being in the closet with them. You're so lucky, Shihna! You're trapped in a closet with the great, sexy-" Shihna smacked him in the head. "I'm anything but LUCKY to be trapped in a closet with you!" Zelos rubbed his head. "Yeah, yeah. Well, I don't have my key with me so we're stuck in here until they let us out." It occured to Shihna what could happen in this closet before they could come back. "Y-you! You better not do _anything_, you got that?!" Zelos smirked, because he was also aware of what could happen and he knew he was freaking Shihna out. "It depends what you mean by "_anything_", my voluptuous hunny." He sat down on the floor. "Sit," he commanded, patting the spot on the floor next to him. Shihna sat down next to him, hesitantly. "Why are you in here anyways?"

"I was looking for something, but I forget what it is." He forgot what he was looking for? She just nodded and looked at the door. "How long do they usually lock people in here?" Zelos shrugged. "It varies. Sometimes I end up letting them out." Well, wasn't that nice. If Zelos wasn't trapped in here with her she'd probably be out by now. She heard a shuffling sound outside. And...giggling? "Shh...she'll hear us!" More like she could already hear them. More shuffling. Shihna was about to say something when she felt Zelos' hand clamp over her mouth. "Shh..." he breathed in her ear. The sound of shuffling and giggling faded away. "What was that all about?!" Shihna demanded as soon as Zelos took his hand off her mouth. "Heh heh. I just have a plan, that's all. It's going to need your full cooperation though." Plan? Cooperation? With _Zelos_? No way. "Lend me your ear for a bit." Shihna reluctantly leaned towards Zelos. He started whispering something in her ear...

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Groupie members 1, 2 and 3 pressed their ears against the side of the door to the closet. "I think I hear something..." And what they were hearing wasn't comforting at all. "Wa-wait, Zelos! S-stop that!" "Hmm?..." Seriously! Stop that!" The silence afterwards let their imaginations wander. One of them fumbled for the key that could unlock all the doors in Zelos' house. (She stole it when no one was looking.) She managed to unlock the door, her hands shaking.

They peeked inside. "Hey, my hunnies!" Zelos grinned. His plan was to make them wonder...and wonder and wonder. What had he done with Shihna? Absolutely nothing. He just wanted to make his fangirls scared...

It occured to Shihna that the probability of Zelos' hunnies thinking something was going on between them. Wait...was that? She turned and stared at Zelos. She knew it! This was all a scam! It was...

"Well then, my hunnies. You're so cruel to trap me in a closet with Shihna like that." His fangirls just stood there, wondering what to say. "I guess I'll be escorting you out now..." He stood up and started leading the girls out of his room. Shihna also stood and followed them down the stairs. _He did this to make my situation worse! I'm never going to listen to his plans ever again! When his prissy fangirls leave I'm gonna..._ She let her mind wander off to what she could do Zelos after they left. "I'll see you later, my hunnies!" Zelos shut the door behind his traumatized hunnies. "You...stupid Chosen!" Zelos got the feeling that he probably wasn't going to live through today..."Wa-wait, hunny! You _agreed_ to it! You-" "You did this all on purpose, didn't you? You wanted to make my situation worse! You're gonna die!" Oh great...he managed to trigger Shihna's demonic voice...and nature. "AHHHHHH!!!"

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Well, you know what happens next. For some reason...I forget how this chapter was really supposed to end so I had to make a new one. Duurrr...It was weird. Now I don't like this chapter so much. XD And I can't believe my last chapter was 1499 words. It made me laugh for some weird reason... 


	12. I Didn't Do Anything

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia!

* * *

"Man, I'm hungry," Zelos said as he fumbled for his keys. "That's why I told you to eat before we went," Shihna replied, not bothering with covering up her annoyance. "You're hungry too!" He whined. "W-what?! How did you know?!" Shihna retorted. "Because I can see all the thoughts going on in that mind of yours," Zelos replied cheerfully. "There's no way you could do that!" Zelos snickered. "You're just scared that I'll discover something you _really_ don't want me to know."

"Like there's anything that you'd be able to-" "Like how you like Lloyd," Zelos interrupted. "What?!"

They were bickering as usual. Like always...always. They had just gone to see the King to tell him how everything with Iselia was going. Still, that didn't mean that she had to go with Zelos. But he insisted...more like nagged her until she gave in. They were so busy with that that they didn't notice one of Zelos' well-dressed hunnies walking down the street. "Master Zelos?" They both turned their heads and looked at the person who had just interrupted their argument. "Oh, it really is Master Zelos."

"Is there anything you need, my hunny?" Zelos asked, suddenly ignoring Shihna's existence. "Not really. I was looking for you though." If Zelos was wondering what for he didn't show it. "You see, Master Zelos...I'm pregnant." This last sentence hung in the air for a very long time. _Pregnant?_ "Why are you telling me this? I didn't do anything with you." She smiled. "I know. I just thought it would be something that you would want to..." She looked at Shihna. "Is she okay?..." Zelos suddenly remembered Shihna was right there. "You didn't do anything with _her_, hmm?" Zelos got the feeling that she was about to self destruct. "Well, I guess I'll be going now." Zelos' fangirl had obviously caught on...leaving Zelos with a monster.

"Wait a sec, hunny! I haven't done anything with anyb-AUUUUGHHHH!!"

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: I'll leave it up to you to wonder what Shihna did to poor Zelos. XD This was short, I know...but all I really wanted to write was a gag. XD Random chick comes up and says she's pregnant. Zelos claims he didn't do anything and Shihna gets angry. It's all good. It makes me happy.

I'm actually surprised that I haven't been flamed by some rabid Shelloyd fan yet. Maybe that's because I'm not done by Zeloshi video yet. And then I'll get it...I just know it. XD Or maybe everybody's just scared of me...


	13. Wear it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia!! XD

Warning: Err...suggestiveness and...crossdressing?!

* * *

"Shihnnnaaa," Zelos whimpered. "What?" Shihna asked, irritated. She turned and glared at the red-headed idiot who was sitting right next to her on his bed. She should've left by this time...not sitting here and listening to Zelos jabber on about random things. She had been blessed with the "luck" of being stuck with Zelos during a storm. Zelos tilted his head. "Wear it." Shihna blinked and stared at Zelos for a few seconds. "Wear what?"

Zelos reached behind him and pulled out a frilly dress. "This." Shihna looked down at the dress. "This?" Zelos nodded. "Yep." Shihna turned and looked at Zelos. "No way. There's no way I'm wearing that..._thing_," Shihna said. "C'mon Shihna. You can't possibly be afraid of wearing a dress, are you hunny?" Shihna's face reddened. "What?! No way! It's just that-" "Then wear it," Zelos instructed. She was just about to say that she hated wearing dresses...

She eyed the frilly piece of clothing warily. "If you wear that thing then I'll do it." She covered her mouth after she said it. What was she doing?! What had possessed her to say such a thing?! Zelos sweatdropped. "Do you really want to see me in that thing?" he asked, his eyebrows raised. "Yes...I mean, no! Err..." Shihna got the feeling that she shouldn't be trusting what she said any more. "Okay!" Was he crazy?! Zelos started unbuttoning his vest. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Changing," Zelos replied, as if it was taking off his clothes in front of a girl was the most normal thing in the world. "Go change somewhere else!" Shihna's face was a raging inferno by this time. "But-" She pushed him into the walk-in closet. "STAY IN THERE!" She slammed the door behind him. "You're so cruel!" she heard him whine from inside. "Hmph." She sat back down on the bed and picked up the book she had been trying to read for the last hour. She still couldn't concentrate enough to read it...because as much as she hated to admit it thoughts of what Zelos would look like in that dress were running through her mind. She heard the door open.

She resisted the urge to look. _I can't look...can't look..._Maybe one peek would be fine. She opened her eyes. "Finally deciding to open your eyes, eh princess?" Shihna jumped back. "Gauuugh!" There he was...standing in front of her. "Zelos, did you have a sex change?" He burst out laughing. "No way. Do I really look that much like a girl?" Shihna held back her laughter. "Yes!"

Zelos put on a hurt expression. "You're so mean." He sat down next to her and rested his head on her shoulder. "You tell me to wear this dress and you don't even want to look at me?" Shihna quickly pushed him off. "I didn't say that you _had_ to."

"Don't say it as if you had nothing to do with it!" Zelos whined. "But...I'll admit that you do look kinda cute..." Shihna said, nervously. The truth was...Zelos would probably be able to pass as a girl if you looked at him from a distance. "But don't think it's bec-" "Thank you, hunny." Zelos kissed her on the cheek. "Now, off with your clothes."

"What?!" Shihna moved away from Zelos. "Well, you said that you would wear the dress if I did, right? So off with your clothes."

"I didn't say I would change in front of you!" Shihna yelled. "Hmmm..." Zelos freely showed dissapointment. "You're no fun," he complained. He got off the bed and walked back into the closet. A few seconds later he threw it out the doorway at Shihna. "Here you go, hunny!" Shihna looked at the dress, dreading its existence. _Why did I say such a thing?..._She sighed. She couldn't break her promise now. Zelos walked out of the closet in his usual clothes. "You can go change now," he said. "Okay..." Shihna walked into the closet, nervously. She shut the door behind her.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Zelos sat on the bed, swinging his legs back and forth and humming. _She's sure taking her time in there..._ But then again, her outfit was actually pretty complicated. He debated with himself whether to ask if she needed any help or wait a bit longer but before he could make a decision the door opened. He looked up. "Shihna...did you switch bodies with somebody?" Zelos couldn't help asking. "What is that supposed to mean?!" Shihna demanded. Zelos chuckled. "Well, you look so unlike the usual tomboyish, violent Shihna. Right now, you look a bit..." Zelos paused, searching for the word he wanted to use. He tilted his head and surveyed her a bit more. "A bit..."

"If it looks bad, then just say so," Shihna said, irritably. Zelos reached behind Shihna's head and pulled on the ribbon letting her hair fall down to her shoulders. "That was what was missing," Zelos said. "Eh?..."

"Now I'm wishing that I would've gotten something sexier for you to wear. You look too cute in that," Zelos whispered in her ear. "Y-you!" She whacked him. "Ah, my violent banshee returns..." Zelos said, rubbing his head. "Grrr!" Shihna went back into the closet and slammed the door in his face. Zelos sighed. "Women..."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: That ending was...yeah. Couldn't think of anything. Duuurrr...This was a request from one of my friendy wends. She said that she wanted to see Zelos cross-dressing...I don't know why, seriously. She just suddenly said she wanted to see Mr. Wilder cross-dressing. So we came up with the idea that he would ask Shihna to wear a dress...

Eh heh heh heh...

And Zelos is finally complaining about women! XD Or maybe it's just Shihna...


	14. Never Again

Disclaimer: I don't own- Well you know what I don't own by this time.

Warning: Spoilers? Kinda...

* * *

Shihna's eyes widened as she watched Mithos starting to take over Lloyd's body. She wanted to move, to push him out of the way...but her feet wouldn't leave the ground. _I have to save him!_

She watched a flash of pink run past. _Zelos?_ She watched Zelos push Lloyd away. Now he was the one who was being taken over. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion...but it was speeding up at the same.

Zelos...was gone.

She had to admit...she was jealous. For a little moment she was wishing that she was the one who was about to be taken...She quickly shook that thought out of her head.

They'd have to get Zelos back...definately...She'd make sure of that.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

She thought she was going to have a heart attack...what with the illusion of Lloyd being a giant spider and all. Mithos just had to make this harder for them didn't he?

She was getting more and more worried about Zelos. _Is he okay?..._Now with the whole party reunited they could go find Zelos...

"Get the hell outta me, you twerp!" Zelos' voice? She snapped out of her little trance. There was Zelos, fighting Mithos off in his head. She found herself sucked into...Mithos' memories? Shihna watched as Kratos and Yuan pulled out their weapons...

"Hey, snap out of it!" They were suddenly back in Welgaia. "Eh?..." Zelos was right there. He was okay...he was...Shihna rushed up to him and glomped him, making them both fall to the ground. "Sh-Shihna?" Zelos struggled to breathe. Shihna's arms were wrapped tightly around his neck. "You...big idiot," she whispered, on the verge of tears. "Hmm?..." He felt her tears soak into his hair, his clothes. "Shihna?..."

"Never...do that again. You're never doing that...ever," she said. "Doing...what?" Zelos asked, still clueless as to what she was doing. "Never do something reckless like that again." Shihna hugged him even tighter. "Heh...we'll see about that."

"I was serious!" Shihna suddenly pulled away from him. "If you keep on rushing in and trying to be cool then-" Zelos placed one of his hands on her head. "Then if I end up in a pinch you can come save me," he said, grinning. "Now let's go catch up with the others..." The rest of the party was waiting for them at the portal that lead to where Mithos was. "After this whole thing is over...I'll take you out on a date, okay?" Shihna found herself blushing. "W-what?!"

"You heard me. I'm going to take you out on a date," Zelos said, standing up and brushing himself off. "Come on, Shihna!" He took her hand and started pulling her towards the others. "I never said I would go on a date with you!" Shihna protested, but all Zelos did was laugh.

_A date with Zelos after this is all over?...Yeah right._

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: That was...really weird. The story totally trailed off the original path it was supposed to take...leaving me confused and agitated. So I'm sorry. XD That was the best I could do. That was just...horrible. Probably one of my worst ones yet... 


	15. Always Forgiven

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia...

* * *

It was always like this...her yelling at him for doing stupid things. No matter how much she yelled at him he still laughed.

Except for this time...

She guessed it was partly her fault...that she might have gone a bit too far. But seeing him with another girl just made her so...angry for some reason. She was out of control whenever she was angry...he knew that. They both knew that.

She was caught by surprise when he yelled back, told her that she had it all wrong. He even claimed that she was jealous, which was absolutely ridiculous.

Despite all of the stares they were getting from the people who were trying to get their shopping done they kept on argueing. But now she felt so ashamed of herself for causing such a ruckus in the middle of the street.

It wasn't like Zelos hadn't run off with some girl from across the street before. Why did she get so angry this time?...Was it because the girl he went out with was particularly good looking? Or was it that she was being super clingy to him?

She had no idea...

Now as she watched him walk away she wondered...if she should call his name. But she was so scared, scared that she'd say something she didn't mean.

"Ze-Zelos!" She managed to get her mouth to work. He turned around. "What is it my voluptuous hunny?" he asked, his voice flat and emotionless. "I...just now..." What did she really want to say? "I'm...sorry." Zelos blinked a few times. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. It wasn't really any of my business and-" Zelos walked up to her and placed his hand on her head. "That's okay. It proves that you like me," he said, smiling. Shihna's face reddened. "What?! There's no way I-" Zelos fixed a piece of her hair that was sticking up. "I shouldn't have yelled back at you, either. You were right, anyway."

Shihna found that she couldn't say anything. Did Zelos...ever actually apologize to her? "Sorry," Zelos murmured, taking his hand away. He turned away and started walking again. "You coming?...Or are you going back to Mizuho?" Would she follw him or would she go home?...

She was surprised when she ran to catch up with him. "I guess I'll stay for a little while longer," she told him. She wondered if this was suggesting anything to him, like if maybe she wanted to stay longer because she actually wanted to be with _him_. No way. Of course not..."Let's go then," Zelos replied, deciding to leave out his usual comments. She nodded.

Temporary truce. She'd be yelling at him two hours from now. They might as well enjoy peace while they could. This wouldn't last very long. But...even if he made her angry...

She knew that she'd end up forgiving him. No matter what...he'd be forgiven.

* * *

Disclaimer: I'm trying not to fall asleep. XD Really...I wrote most of this thing last week and now I'm actually finishing it.

So sleepy...

I guess this one is Shihna's inner thoughts. I don't really know. XD


	16. To Truly Thank You

Disclaimer: This is the last time I'm saying this. XD I don't own Tales of Symphonia!

* * *

Shihna glared at Zelos over her ice cream sundae. "Why are you looking at me like that, hunny?" Zelos asked, cheerfully. "Why am I on a date with you?!" she demanded loudly. "Shh, hunny. People are staring," Zelos said, still smiling.

He was just so...irritating! "Do you think it's actually normal for you to randomly appear on my doorstep and drag me out on a so-called date without me even saying yes?" Shihna asked, quieter this time. "Sure, hunny," Zelos replied. Shihna wanted to smack that grin off of his face. "I guess I just felt like taking you out today," he said. "I didn't feeling like going out with _you_," Shihna retorted. "You're so harsh," Zelos whined. How she always got into these situations she didn't know. She had barely began to wake up that morning when Zelos showed up on her doorstep and dragged her out on this so-called "date" in Altamira. Did he even had any idea that not everybody had as much free time as he did? She had...wait. She didn't have anything to do either. Not today...but there was no way he knew, right? This was all a coincidence right? Him having nothing to do and she didn't have anything to do either...and then...

No way.

"Aren't you going to get anything?" she asked, taking her mind off of that morning's events. "Having you here is just fine," was the cheerful reply. Shihna found herself blushing. "W-what are you saying?" Zelos turned and looked out the window. "You heard me. Having you is just fine," he repeated. Shihna looked down at the table. "And I could just share with you." Shihna looked up to see Zelos picking up a spoon and scooping up some of _her_ ice cream. "Hey! Get your own!"

Zelos stuck the spoon in his mouth with a sneaky smile on his face. Shihna growled at him. "Now we really look like a couple," Zelos said. "What?! There's no way that we could-" "Oh, Shihna. You're _embarassed_," Zelos said in that annoying tone of his. "Me?! Embarrased?! The only reason I would be embarrased is because I'm stuck with a moron like y-" Zelos chose this moment to scoop up more ice cream and stick his spoon into Shihna's mouth. "Mmph!" Zelos grinned.

Shihna's face reddened even more. An...indirect kiss! He had just given her...She looked up at him and quickly looked back down at the table. Zelos just continued grinning. "See, you're embarassed," he pointed out again. Shihna decided to ignore him continued eatting her ice cream. "Hmm...you don't have to ignore me like that, Shihna," Zelos whined. "Hmph." Shihna turned away from him. Zelos tilted his head. "Shiiiihhnnaaaa..."

Shihna continued ignoring him and eatting her ice cream. Zelos sighed. _I guess I'll just leave her alone for now._ He patiently waited for Shihna to finish her ice cream.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"So what do you want to do next?" Zelos asked after paying. "Anything's fine," Shihna replied coldly. Weren't dates supposed to be fun?...This one was getting worse and worse. "Hmmm..." He took her hand in his. "Come on."

"Eh?..." Shihna let herself be pulled along by Zelos. He lead her into a shop. "What are you doing?..." Shihna asked, trying to make sense of exactly what Zelos was doing. Zelos looked around the store, humming a tune. "Found it!" Shihna looked over his shoulder to see what it was. He had something cupped in his hands. "What is it?..." Shihna asked, hesitantly. Zelos opened up his hands...to reveal nothing. "Absolutely nothing, my voluptuous hunny." All Shihna could do was stare and blink at his hands for a few seconds. "What?..." Zelos gently poked her in the forehead. "Ab-so-lute-ly no-thing," he said again, grinning evilly. It took a bit of time for this to register in Shihna's head. By the time she actually figured it out Zelos was already out of the store and running for his life. "COME BACK HERE!" Shihna chased after him. "Well, you were being all depressed and stuff so I thought-" "I don't care what you think, you-" "Ow! That hurts!"

Zelos rubbed his head where Shihna had smacked him. "You're so mean!" he whined, giving her his fake hurt expression. "You _tricked_ me," Shihna pointed out. "I just wanted to cheer you up," Zelos said. "You can use more normal methods of cheering people up," Shihna grumbled. "But it worked. You're all cheerful now," Zelos replied, pinching her cheek. "See!" Shihna's face turned bright red. "What are you talking about?! You think a lame thing like that could cheer me up?!" Even though she denied it she knew it was true. He had managed to make her happier...again. What was with that anyways? How could he always cheer her up like that? Even when...

Even when Corrine died...

"Think of something you want to do now, hunny?" Zelos asked. Shihna snapped out of her little trance. "Uhh...isn't there anything _you_ want to do?" Zelos smirked. "I don't think you'd want to do it though. It involves a hotel room and-" Shihna slapped him. "No way." "See, I knew you wouldn't like it!" Zelos whined, now rubbing his cheek. "Let's go to the amusement park," Shihna said, pulling Zelos along. "Whatever you say, hunny," Zelos said, trying to keep his footing.

Fine, she'll admit it. It was fun. Very fun...more fun than she had in a long time. Going out with Zelos like this...it was fun. Sure, he was idiotic and annoying, but in the end she enjoyed it, going to the amusement park and buying weird things. Really, she didn't need a lolipop. She wasn't a kid any more, but he insisted. Even walking around Altamira at night was fine. But why was Zelos checking his watch so much? It wasn't like he wanted to get away from her as soon as possible, right? Right?...She couldn't possibly be that boring to be with. And it was Zelos of all people that she was with. Wasn't going on a date with her his dream come true? Wait...his dream come true? What was she thinking?

"Oh, crap. We're gonna be late," Zelos suddenly said. "What? Late for what?..." Shihna asked. He suddenly grabbed her hand. "Something," Zelos replied as he started to run. "Where are we going?!" Shihna demanded. "To the beach." The beach?! But this was the middle of the night...what would they be doing at the beach? She struggled to keep up with Zelos as they ran. "W-we made it," Zelos said, gasping for air. For some reason there was people gathered on the beach, even though nobody was allowed to be there at this hour. Suddenly there was flashes of light in the air. "Fireworks?" Shihna asked. "Yep." So this was what Zelos was looking at his watch for. But since when did Altamira have fireworks? That was weird...Oh well. She continued watching the fireworks go off in brilliant colours. "They're beautiful aren't they?" Zelos asked, his voice softer and quieter than usual. "...Yeah."

At that moment even bigger fireworks popped up and...Was that her and Zelos' name in a heart? She had to be seeing things. There was no way that...

It was. So this was what Zelos was _really_ planning. He knew all of this from the beginning. A million feelings surged through her at once. What should she do?...She didn't even know what to think. Was she happy or...what? She tried to make sense of her feelings. What was going on? Why did he...? Why were her eyes filling with tears? "Shihna?" Zelos turned to face her. "Are you okay?..." He was starting to regret what he did. Sticking their names in a heart like that and letting everybody see...the chances of his fangirls finding out was extremely high. That would make Shihna's life even harder than it already was. He also happened to realize that maybe Shihna didn't _want_ to have that kind of relationship with him. Okay, fine. She obviously didn't. She never wanted to, always said that she wouldn't and still he decided to do this. This just made him feel _so_ great about himself. He had even made her cry. Now, this was just great. He made _Shihna_ cry. "Shihna?..." he said again, hesitantly. He started wiping the tears off of her cheeks. "I'm...sorry. I guess I shouldn't have-" Shihna shook her head. "I..." She stopped and started over. "Thank you, Zelos."

"Eh?" She...thanked him? "I thought you were mad at me or something," he mumbled. Shihna smiled through her tears. "Not right now," she said and then...she kissed him on the cheek.

_Because I love you more than anything...I've been wanting to find the time...to actually thank you for everything._

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: At first I wanted Shihna to hug Zelos at the end and then I wanted them to actually kiss instead of just Shihna kissing him on the cheek, but then it kinda ended like that. XD Yeah...The middle was a bit weird and stuff because I was writing it last night while I was tired and braindead. It kinda shows too. XD

My favourite part was when Shihna asked Zelos what he wanted to do. Zelos, you pervert! XD You take a hotel room and...yeah. But we still love you, Zelos. We still love you. I didn't go into much detail with the actual date on purpose. XD This one was written more for the ending than anything else...


	17. I Want to Treat You Better

* * *

"Six...seven..." Genius counted the people at the dinner table. "Where's Zelos?" he asked. Zelos was strangely not there. "He said he was hungry and wanted dinner as soon as possible a while ago." But the idiotic Chosen wasn't there. "He said that he wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be joining us for dinner," Presea answered. "Really? He looked perfectly fine..." _What's he doing?_ Shihna wondered. She had also heard his comment about being hungry. She had the strange suspicion that he had taken a girl up to his room and...

No thoughts about that. She wouldn't let herself think about that. "I'll go check on him," she said, getting up from her spot at the table and dashing up the stairs towards his room. What was she doing here anyways? She said that she would check on him, but...was she really checking to see if he was okay or was it because she wanted to see if he had actually brought someone up there and- _Enough of that!_ she scolded herself. She knocked on the door. "Zelos? It's me." She heard shuffling come from inside. "Go away," she heard Zelos mutter. That was odd. Zelos would never tell her to go away. Especially if it was her...

She held her breath as she opened the door. "Zelos?" She poked her head inside, expecting to see something she didn't want to see. Nothing. Just a big lump under the covers on Zelos' bed. "I said go away," he whined again. "Are you okay?" Shihna asked, still ignoring his requests for her to leave. "Just leave me alone, okay?" Zelos curled up in his blanket even more. "I don't want to see any one right now." Shihna tried to find an opening in the covers that Zelos had dug himself a hole in. "How can you breathe in there?" She stepped up to the bed and tried to pull the blanket off of him. "Go away," Zelos whined again. "...Please." Why was he acting like this? This wasn't the usual Zelos at all. "Really, Zelos. Are you okay? Presea said you weren't feeling well and-" "I'm fine! Just leave me alone."

So he was going to be that stubborn, eh? Fine then. She jumped on top of him and tried to wrestle the blankets away from him. She wondered why she kept on seeing a strange orange light coming from under it. "What?..." She finally managed to pull the blanket off of Zelos. She gasped. "Zelos...your-" "Yeah, my wings. Happy that you found out why I'm hiding under my blanket now? Now go away," Zelos grumbled. He grabbed the blanket and covered himself with it again. "Does it...hurt?" she asked, bending her head down slightly, trying to get a look at his face. "It doesn't, but I can't get them to go away," was the muffled reply. Shihna pulled the blanket away from his face. "Do you need anything?"

"I just want you to leave me aloone," Zelos said, still refusing to look at her. "I can't just leave you like this," she said gently. "I care about you...we all do." Zelos turned away from her. "Sure." Shihna frowned. "Zelos..." What was she going to do with him? He was being so...frustrating. She heard a knock on the door. "Hey, guys I brought-" Genius paused in the doorway. "I-I-Sorry for interrupting I'll-" Genius placed a tray in the doorway and ran away, his face as red as a tomato. Oh, great. Now Genius thought she was _doing something_ with Zelos. Well, she was on his bed. She jumped off and headed over to the doorway where the tray piled with food on it was. She picked it up and shut the door behind her. "Are you hungry?..." She turned around to look at Zelos. She carried the tray over and placed it on the table next to the bed. He shook his head. "You're lying," Shihna said. "You're hungry aren't you? You said you were earlier and you haven't eaten since then."

"You're starting to sound like an annoying mother who won't stop nagging me for not eatting what I'm supposed to," Zelos grumbled. He sat up. "But I'll consider eatting if you feed me." Now he was starting to act like his usual self. She sighed. "Fine. I will." She thought she saw a hint of a smile on Zelos' face. He was cute like this too...frowning like that. He looked like a child that was- What was she thinking?! Her face reddened. She was just...she thought...She covered her face. "If you don't really want to feed me you don't have to. I don't _have_ to eat," Zelos said, ready to lay back down with the covers over his head. "N-no! It's not like that! It's just..." Shihna hesitated. "You're...different than usual."

"You mean I'm even more annoying and frustrating and you really want to slap me, but I look so pathetic you pity me so you won't." Shihna picked up a bowl of cream soup. "That's not what I meant!" She protested. "Yeah right..." She scooped up a bit of soup and held the spoon up to Zelos' mouth. Zelos mechanically opened and closed his mouth as she fed him. Shihna put down the now empty bowl.

"You've fed me now. Are you going to leave yet?" Zelos asked. Shihna couldn't believe he still wanted her to leave. "Fine. I'll leave then," she said coldly. She got up to leave. "I was kidding..." she heard him mumble. He took ahold of her long sash. "Really...I was kidding that time."

Shihna turned to look at Zelos. "Are you okay?..." Zelos shook his head. "Guess not, hunny." He tried to put a smile on his face, but failed. "I feel horrible." Shihna sat back down on the bed. Zelos rested his head on her shoulder. "Don't leave...okay? Even if I tell you to," he murmured in her ear. She nodded, not sure if she was really going to stay or not. "You should eat..." Zelos said, noticing that Shihna's food had been untouched. "You must be hungry..." Was that guilt she heard in Zelos' voice? "Yeah..." Shihna picked up her bowl of cream stew, that had cooled down. "I should treat you better," he mumbled, snuggling up closer to her. "What?..." Shihna asked, inching away from Zelos. "I always end up hurting you."

Shihna stopped sipping her soup. Had he...always hurt her? Yes, he had. Anything that had to do with Zelos that involved her...she ended up getting hurt somehow. "You didn't do anything," she lied. "Yeah right...There's no way you can tell me that whenever I'm with my hunnies that you're not jealous," Zelos said. "What are you saying?! I would never be jealous of-" "Then there'd be no reason for the way you act when I'm around them," Zelos pointed out. "Enough of that!" Her patience was finally starting to wear down.

Zelos hugged her tightly. "Sorry..." She was making her situation worse. "Zelos, let go!" She turned around to look at him. Her eyes widened as she watched Zelos' wings dissapear. Zelos let go of her. "I'm feeling better now...Thanks." The way he looked at her was just so..."Yeah, yeah! You're all better now, right? I can actually leave now, right?" She tried to hide her red face. "Sure, hunny," Zelos said, cheerfully. "But...what's wrong with your face?" He turned her around to face him. "You're all red!"

"Wh-what are you talking about?! I-I'm leaving!" Shihna stuttered, getting up and picking up the tray. "But-" "I'm fine!" She dashed out of the room, closing the door behind her. Zelos sighed. "You're so cute..." He looked down at the bed, where a few golden feathers still floated around. "...Thank you, Shihna."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Kyuuuee! XD That was...tiring. Zelos was just out of control. I'm sorry. But he just wouldn't do what I wanted him to do. So I'm sorry...But Shihna did what I wanted. XD Which is surprising because she's always the one that I have trouble with...

Poor Genius. XD The poor kid always ends up in those kind of situations...


	18. My Housewife

* * *

"Shihhhhnnnaaa, I'm hungry!" Zelos whined as they walked back to Zelos' mansion. "But you ate before we went!" Shihna pointed out as Zelos tugged on her sash. "But it's dinner time!"

"You're such a little kid!" Shihna yelled, yanking her sash away from Zelos' hands. "Then I can call you mommy and have you take care of me," Zelos said, snuggling up to Shihna. "W-what?! Get away you stupid pervert!" She immediately shoved him away. "Meanie," Zelos whined. Shihna sighed. Even after joining the two worlds together she still had to be bothered by Zelos. Why did _she _have to be the peace emissary to Iselia? Zelos was the Chosen! Shouldn't he be the one doing this stuff? And she wouldn't mind it so much if she didn't have to see Zelos every second day. Zelos unlocked the door to his house. "It's Sebastian's day off today. Do you want to go out to eat?"

"It's an unhealthy habit to go out to eat whenever your butler is off duty," Shihna said. "Then what are we going to eat?" Zelos asked, his cheerful mood not changing. "I'll cook, then," Shihna said, sighing. "Oooh...so you don't want to be my mother, you want to be my lovely, housewife instead!" His...housewife?! "You-" Zelos was already running inside the house. "You idiot!" She chased him inside, slamming the door closed behind her. "Come back here, you cowardly-" She crashed into Zelos. "Oomph. That hurt my hunny," Zelos said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "But you're so cu-" Shihna smacked him in the head. "Get away, you idiot!" Zelos immediately let go of her and rubbed his head. "Ow!"

"Hmph!" Shihna turned away from him and walked towards the kitchen. "Now, now my voluptuous hunny you don't have to be all huffy!" Zelos whined. Shihna ignored him and looked inside his fridge. "Hmm..." She looked around. "Curry it is..." She took the ingredients out of the fridge and laid them out on the counter. "Making curry, Shihna?" Zelos asked, eyeing the ingredients. Shihna continued ignoring him, shut the fridge door and looked into one of Zelos' cupboards. "Red satay..." Zelos wondered about how much time Shihna spent in his kitchen. How could she know where all this stuff was? "Found it." She pulled it out, triumphantly. "Shihna, you're not one of those rabid stalkers that memorize the contents of my house, right?" Zelos asked. "Of course not," Shihna replied. "What makes you think that?"

"You're going through my kitchen as if you live here," Zelos said as Shihna took out a knife to cut the onions with. (She wouldn't cut Zelos with it!) "Well, I'm here a lot," Shihna said placing an onion on the cutting board. "Hm Hmn! So it's like your home away from home and I'm your-" "It's not like that!" Shihna protested. "Hmm...you don't have to deny it, hunny. You know it's the truth!"

"No it's not!" There was no way this would be her home away from home! She-"Be careful with that knife, Shihna. I'm scared you're going to cut yourself." Shihna looked down at the knife she was holding. "Oh...yeah." Why was she the one who always lost her cool? She returned to cutting the onion. Zelos leaned on the counter. "Are you mad at me, Shihna?" Shihna shook her head. "Just slightly annoyed...that's all."

"Hmmm..." Zelos looked up at the clock. "Do you think-" "Ow." Shihna put down the knife and looked at her finger. How could she accidentally cut herself like that? "Shihna? Are you okay?" Zelos walked up to her and took ahold of her hand. "It's just a little cut. It's nothing," Shihna said, trying to pull her hand away from Zelos. "No, it isn't!" Zelos reached over to a drawer and took out a band-aid. "You should be more careful," Zelos said wrapping the band-aid around her finger. Shihna nodded, surprised by how gentle he was. When was the last time she saw him like this? He was all gentle and...and nice. "All done," Zelos said, kissing her hand. "Th-thanks." Since when was he such a gentleman? He was supposed to obnoxious and annoying...not like this. "We should hurry up or we won't be able to get any dinner tonight," Zelos stated. "Yeah..."

The rest of the cooking process went without a problem. Shihna sighed as she sat down in her chair diagonally across from Zelos'. "Smells good," Zelos said, looking down at his plate of curry. "Taste testing time!" He picked up his spoon and dug into it. "Mmm! It's good!"

"You're getting it everywhere, Zelos," Shihna pointed out. "That's fine. I can just have you clean it," Zelos said. "I'm not your maid!" Shihna yelled. "But you're my cute little housewife," Zelos stated, as if they were truly a married couple. "I'm not your housewife!" Throughout the whole night Shihna tried to convince Zelos that she wasn't his housewife and that their relationship was nothing close to such a thing. But no matter what Zelos stubbornly refused to stop calling her that. But strangely enough...Shihna looked down at the band-aid around her finger. She was happy...spending time with Zelos even though she had wanted nothing to deal with him before.

* * *

That was just...screwed up. XD I kinda built the whole thing around the band-aid scene. I was pretty much winging it for the rest of it. So I'm sorry (again). But...Zelos was so cute. XD Shihna was so cute too. Yay. 


	19. Wake Up

* * *

"...elos...ake...up..." Zelos groaned and pretended he didn't hear anything. It was still early. Why did he have to wake up anyways? He pulled the blanket over his head. "Wake up." Something pulled the blanket off and shook him. "Mmmrmmppphh..." He still refused to get out of bed. "Go away..." he mumbled. Who the hell was trying to get him to wake up anyways? He opened his eyes a crack. Shihna?

He opened them a bit more. What was she doing here? He had to still be dreaming. Wasn't Shihna supposed to be in Mizuho? He closed his eyes again. No way. He snuggled up in his blanket again. "Zelos...get up." It sounded like Shihna...exactly like Shihna. He wondered if he should believe that she was actually there or not.

He felt something soft hitting him in the head. "Hmmrph?" Apparently "Shihna" picked up one of his pillows and whacked him with it. "Jeez! Wake up already!" Zelos decided to open his eyes again. "Hmmm...Shihna?" he asked, groggily. "Yes, you idiot! Now wake up!" She whacked him with the pillow again. "But it's so early..."

"It's not that early!" Zelos turned his head. "I went to sleep really late last night," he whined. "That was your fault," Shihna said, trying to pull the blanket away from Zelos. "Now get up!" Zelos rolled over and grabbed Shihna's arm. "Mmrph..." He pulled her onto the bed. "What are you doing here, anyways?" Zelos asked, laying his head down right under Shihna's chest. "I-I just came over here after I had a meeting with the King and I just...just...get off of me!" She pushed him off of her. "Hmmm...Let me sleep for an hour or so and I'll eat breakfast with you," Zelos mumbled. "It's only seven in the morning after all..." Shihna nodded and started to get off the bed, but Zelos held her down. "Stay here...you want to sleep too, don't you? You probably didn't get enough sleep last night." How did he know that?...She looked down at him, curled up right next to her. She regretted trying to get him to wake up. "Move over," she said, softly. "Sure thing, hunny." Zelos made more room for Shihna. "Sorry..." Shihna said, moving closer to Zelos. "For what?..."

"I came here just to wake you up...and just because I had nothing to do," Shihna murmured. "Don't worry about it...I'm always doing that to you," Zelos said, pulling the blanket to cover Shihna. "Now, sleep..." Shihna nodded and in a few minutes both of them were fast asleep.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Good morning, princess." Shihna opened her eyes to find herself in Zelos' room, sunshine streaming through the window. And right next to her was...She screamed. Zelos watched her in amusement as Shihna fell off the bed in panic. "What am I doing here?!" She demanded. "Hmm? You don't remember?" Zelos asked, looking down at Shihna, who was getting more and more panicky every second. Then she remembered...that morning. Zelos. Told him to wake up. Went to sleep. In his bed. "We didn't..._do anything_, right?" she asked, fearing the worst. "Hmm...maybe. It was fun," Zelos said cheerfully. "You're kidding, right?!" Shihna jumped back onto the bed. "Right?!" Zelos studied Shihna's face, wondering if he should play around with her some more. "Well, it depends what you mean by _doing something_," he said. "Well, uhh...we didn't do _that_, did we?"

"Shihna, hunny. You still have your clothes on," Zelos pointed out. Shihna looked down. She did. "So we didn't..." Zelos grinned. Or did they? Shihna glared at him. "We didn't do anything, right?" Zelos continued smiling. "Maybe..." Shihna grabbed him. "There's no way we could've...right?" Zelos just continued to let Shihna think what she wanted. "You...idiot!"

"Whoa! Wait!" Zelos was suddenly thrown to the floor. "You stupid...Grr!" Shihna ran out of the room. Zelos sighed. "Oh well..." She wouldn't stay mad for that long. He smiled. Of course not.

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: That...was...weird. XD Yush. That was weird. That's all it was. And my throat hurts...and I had my theory exam yesterday so I feel really tired. XD Not much to say...except I'll be answering reviews next chapter. 


	20. Red Snow

Warning: Spoilers and stuff...XD

* * *

Why did it have to be so cold in Flanoir anyways? Shihna shivered as she curled up on the couch, trying her best to keep warm next to the fireplace. "Are you cold, my hunny?" Shihna turned around to see Zelos leaning on the back of the couch. "Kind of..." she said, trying to make herself as small as possible. Zelos sat down next to her on the couch. "I can warm you up if you want," he said, cheerfully. "No thanks," Shihna hissed at him, moving farther away from him. "Suit yourself then." Zelos turned his eyes toward the fire.

They sat in silence. "Zelos, do you like the snow?" Shihna asked. "Well, that was random," Zelos said, turning to face Shihna. "Snow...is beautiful, but it's cruel." Shihna was surprised at his words. "Cruel?" she asked, trying not to sound overly curious. "My mom died, you know that?" Zelos said, his eyes on the fire. This was one of the last things Shihna expected him to say. She knew that Zelos' mother had died, but she never thought much about it. Zelos was always so cheerful and carefree she never really acknowledged it. She felt uncomfortable sitting with Zelos with a dark subject like this. "I...I'm..." She wanted and didn't want to say that she was sorry. Sorry just didn't seem to be the right words to say when someone dies. It couldn't fix anything and it didn't make anybody feel better. She fumbled for the right words. "I..." Zelos placed his hand on her head. "I know. You don't have to say anything."

This suited her just fine. "My mother died on a day just like this one," Zelos said, taking his hand off of Shihna's head. "It was the first day I saw snow and I was so excited my mother took me outside and we built a snowman. And..." he paused. "And..." Shihna tilted her head to look at Zelos' face better. "Zelos?..." He shook his head. "Red snow fell from the sky."

"Red...snow?" Shihna repeated what he said, wondering exactly how the snow could turn red. "It was my mother's blood...Seles' mother tried to kill me, but my mother was caught in the crossfire." So this was how Mylene Wilder really died. She had heard about it...but the reason was never given, but now she figured it out coming from the person who watched it happen. "Her last words to me...were 'You should have never been born'." Shihna's eyes widened. He should've...never been born? But everybody deserved to be born...and to live. "Why...did she say that?" she couldn't help asking. "Nobody wants me to be here," Zelos said, softly. "I'm a useless Chosen, I'm always annoying everybody. Nobody likes me for being me. They don't approach me because they're attracted to me...all they want to know is the Chosen."

"That's not true," Shihna protested. "There's no way everybody could-" "Name me one person that approached me because they truly wanted to know me," Zelos interrupted her. "Just one..." He looked down at the floor. He sounded like he really wanted to know if there was one person who cared about him, because he was Zelos and not just the Chosen, but Shihna could also sense that even though he hoped for this he knew it was useless. Nobody ever approached him because he was being himself except for...her. She remembered that when she first met Zelos...she had no idea who he was and she never ever treated him like the Chosen since then. He was always Zelos. Always...Zelos. Just him. Not the Chosen, but Zelos Wilder. "I...did," she managed to choke out.

Zelos raised his head. "You?" He couldn't believe what she was saying. "You...wanted to know the real me?" Shihna nodded. "There's one person...that wanted to really know you and the rest of us...Lloyd and everybody else. I'm sure they want to know the real you, too." Zelos studied her face. "It's the truth," Shihna added on, suspecting that Zelos didn't believe her. "Thank you...Shihna," Zelos said, taking her in his arms. "I-It's nothing, really," Shihna mumbled, her face turning red. Zelos managed to smile. "You're really cute, when you're quiet, you know that?"

"W-what?!" Shihna stuttered. "Me?! What are you talking about? I'm not-" "You're so cute, I wanna eat you," Zelos said, cheerily. He moved as if he was about to bite her neck. "Hey! Get away from me!" Shihna pushed him away. "Heh heh," Zelos snickered. Shihna was surprised at how Zelos suddenly changed his mood. "Are you okay...Zelos?" she asked, cautiously. "Of course I am, hunny," Zelos replied, playing with her long, pink sash. "How does this thing work, anyways?" he asked, tugging on it. "Stop that!" Shihna said, hitting him on the shoulder. Zelos whimpered. "Meanie. Are you going to tell me or what?" Shihna unwrapped Zelos' arms from around her. She stuck her tongue out at him. "No way." She started running towards the stairs. "Hey!" Zelos chased after her.

Lloyd and Collet opened the door to find nobody there. They had just returned from outside and they were brushing snow off of themselves. "Where'd Shihna and Zelos go?" Collet asked. They heard a lot of crashing and banging upstairs. "Maybe they went to bed already," Lloyd said. They heard a screech and something breaking. "I think..."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: I think I finally wrote a chapter that I like. XD Really, really like...finally. I'm happy. But it ended up being shorter than I thought it would be...which makes me a little bit sad. It's a Zelos and Shihna Love Love Flanoir Scene. XD Yay. Next chapter will be a special of what _really_ happened in Flanoir...the true reason why the Flanoir scene happened. 


	21. SPECIAL: Behind the Scenes in Flanoir

Bum ba bum! A super SakuMeiMei behind the scenes special! A look behind the scenes of SakuMeiMei's and Zelos'...wicked minds. More explanations at the end...because this probably makes no sense.

* * *

Zelos poked his head around a corner. _They should be here any time now..._ He heard footsteps. That should be them...It had to be them. He looked around the corner again. Yep. It was them. "Oh, wait. I forgot something," Lloyd said, turning around to go back to his hotel room, but he was stopped by...Zelos? "Lloyd, Collet...Outside. Now." Lloyd and Collet found themselves being shoved towards the door. "Uhh...Zelos? What are you doing?" The door opened and they were both pushed outside. "Stay out here for about four or five hours okay?" Zelos ordered. "Wait! Zelos, this is Flanoir! We're going to freeze out here!" Lloyd protested.

"Stay. Out." The door slammed in their faces. "But I'm cold!" Lloyd whined. The door opened a crack. "Get used to it." They got the feeling that Zelos was glaring at them. The door slammed closed again. "Ummm...what do we do now?" Collet asked, shivering at the cold. "I guess we'll just walk around for a bit..." Lloyd said, wondering if he and Collet could survive in this weather. "What's up with Zelos, anyways?" Collet shrugged. "I think he wants to do something that he doesn't want us to interfere with." That thing would be having a lovey dovey moment with Shihna...

Meanwhile Zelos was enjoying his time talking with Shihna as Lloyd and Collet were freezing their butts off in the cold. Collet handed Lloyd something. "What is it?" Lloyd asked. "It's a Flanoir snow bunny. It's supposed to give you good luck," Collet replied cheerfully. She'd only bought the thing because she was bored and was killing time...who knew that thing would save Lloyd's life later?

"Do you think we can go back in, now?" Lloyd asked after standing outside for a few more minutes. "Zelos seemed to want to keep us out longer," Collet said, brushing away the snow that landed on her shoulder. "Collet, it's been two hours already!"

"Well, maybe we can go back in..." They cautiously opened the door to find that nobody was there. They heard a lot of crashing and banging coming from upstairs though. "Maybe they're sleeping," Collet said, cheerfully. "There's no way they could be sleeping with that racket going on up there!"

* * *

Duur...that strayed off from the original so much. Basically it was supposed to show exactly _how_ Zelos managed to get his little talk with Shihna and a look into my evil mind (well, you kinda get to see) and Zelos' evil schemes to get his little moments with Shihna. But it just kinda...went in a random direction and ended up with more Colly-kun and Lloyd than Zelos and Shihna. XD Anyways...I shall answer reviews. Atleast...the ones that need answering.

**Maxmagnus20019- **Thanks for reviewing!! XD I'm so happy to have a regular so I love you. Love love. XD

And my stories are weird, aren't they? Yes, yes. Weird...very weird. XD

**MoonlitInuko- **Eh? I always make your day? Really? Nyu way. Heh heh. Well, atleast I make _somebody's _day. I'm usually the one that makes a person's day worse. XD

You liked the chapter where Zelos had his wing issue? Yay. XD And I'm happy that I wrote something that nobody has ever written before. I don't like commonplace things that much. But I like writing about them every once in a while like the Flanoir scene. I like adding my own little SakuMeiMei feeling to it. XD Yay for plotbunnies.

**PreseaGrrl- **Zelos' floozies. XD That made me laugh. Heh heh. Actually his fangirlies didn't want Shihna to do anything with him so they locked her in the closet, _but_ they didn't know that Zelos was in there so they had no idea. XD

And I don't like wearing dresses either. Unless if I'm cosplaying as a character I really like, but even then I prefer wearing shorts underneath. XD

You don't like the housewife idea? XD Oh well...I expected someone not to. Personally I really like it, though. I don't know why. XD I can just imagine Shihna with a frilly pink apron on with Zelos whining about dinner not being ready yet.

**Master Masa Random- **Nice to meet you! Thanks for reading my work! And you don't speak English? I can actually understand you really well. XD Thanks for reviewing!

And the way I make Shihna and Zelos act childish...scares me. XD I'm always thinking "Is this okay? Are they fooling around too much?" but I'm happy to hear that you like it. XD

**whiterose2406- **And I always thought that I made them stray from their original characters. I'm happy to hear that I manage to keep Zelos and Shihna in character. XD

**aCEMANIa- **I spell "Sheena" "Shihna" because it's actually originally spelt that way. XD In the Japanese version it is actually spelt Shihna, but they just changed it in the English version.

**Dawnstarshine- **Eeh?! You love Arina-chii too? Yay. Arina love love. And you're hooked? Yay. As for the smexiness for the Strawberry chapter, I actually toned it down a bit from the original thought in my head. Even though it's not a good thing for someone my age to be thinking of X-rated themes. XD (It really was more extreme in my head.) In the doujinshi I hope I don't make it too...extreme or I'll end up blushing every time I look at it. XD


	22. I Want to Protect You

* * *

"Tch." Shihna winced as Refill bandaged her arm. "Jeez, Shihna. You should be more careful next time. You almost got yourself killed," Genius said, watching his sister tend to Shihna's wounds. "Sorry," she said, apologetically. She knew she shouldn't have ran ahead of everyone like that. Not all monsters were that easy to beat, but she really felt like she could beat it easy this time. Apparently she was wrong. Thanks to her carelessness she almost got herself killed. Her...a ninja from Mizuho almost killed in a little battle due to carelessness. She made the rest of the party worry about her too. Everybody had asked her if she was okay...except for one. She turned her head to look at Zelos, who was sitting by the fire, not even looking in her direction. Was he mad at her?

He stood up and headed in her direction. "Can I...talk to you alone?" Zelos asked. "Sure..." They walked a few feet away from the rest of the party. "What the hell did you think you were doing?" Zelos demanded. "Eh?" Shihna stared at him, surprised by the anger in his voice. She expected him to be mad...but she didn't think he would talk to her like this. "Running in there carelessly like that. Do you really want to throw your life away?" Zelos asked. "Of course not," Shihna mumbled.

"You idiot! Think before you go running in!" She could understand that he was mad at her for running in, but she didn't expect him to get this angry. "You're a girl! If you run in like that-" "It doesn't matter if I'm a girl or not!" Shihna yelled back. "Yes, it does! You should stand back and-" The sound of Shihna slapping Zelos in the face echoed through the forest. "Idiot." She realized that everybody else was watching them. "Tell everybody that I'll be going for a walk," Zelos said, quietly. She watched him turn and walk even farther away from everybody else. Why did things always end up like this? She looked down at her hand that still stung from hitting Zelos. She headed back towards the rest of the party. "Zelos said he's going to take a walk," she said as she sat down. Nobody said anything.

Shihna stared at the fire. She shouldn't have slapped him. He was just worried about her after all. But he was so...frustrating. What was all this stuff about her being a girl? That kind of thing didn'ts matter. "Shihna, you should apologize to Zelos," she heard Lloyd say. "Zelos was so worried about you," Collet added. Shihna looked down at the ground. She didn't mind apologizing to him...but how? It would be so awkward to say that she was sorry right after she had done that. She stood up slowly and looked in the direction that Zelos went. She hoped that he had gone far. It would give her time to think of a way to apologize.

She started walking. The sound of crickets chirping kept her company. The moon was full tonight, casting shadows all over the ground. Then she finally noticed the person standing on top of a hill. "Zelos..." He turned around. "I..." She fumbled for the words she wanted to use. "I'm...sorry." That was all she could think of. She worried that if she said anything more something wrong would come out. She noticed that Zelos' face was still a little red from where she hit him. "You know, I was more mad at myself than you," Zelos said, gazing at something far away. "I was so frustrated with myself for not being able to protect you. I was worried...that I wouldn't be able to any more." Shihna's eyes widened as she heard these words. "You wanted...to protect me?" It never occured to her that he would. This was the man that always put himself before everybody else...or so she thought. "Of course," Zelos said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I would hate myself if anything ever happened to you."

"You would?" Shihna asked. "I would." She still couldn't believe it. "Am I really that important?" Zelos laughed. "What's so funny?! I was asking a serious question!" She glared at him as he continued to laugh. "S-sorry. It's just that your expression was so-" He burst out laughing again. "Grr! You're so annoying!" Shihna whacked him on the head. "Even though you call me annoying you still love me though," Zelos pointed out. "What?!" Shihna's cheeks started burning. "You don't have to deny it. I know and you know it."

"You stupid Chosen!" Shihna whacked him again. "Ow! That hurts!" Zelos whined. "Just when I think you're being serious you turn around and start joking around!" Shihna shouted. "But it's boring being serious all the time," Zelos whined. Shihna turned around huffily. "I'm going back." Zelos started running after her. "But, hunny-" He found himself tripping over a rock. "Whoa!" He crashed into Shihna and they both fell on the ground. "Umph..." Zelos looked down. "Oh...sorry." He realized that he was pinning Shihna down.

"G-get off!" Shihna stuttered. "Eeeh? But this position is-" "GET OFF!" Zelos sighed. "You're no fun." He stood up and held out his hand. "Need help?" Shihna cautiously took his hand. He pulled her up and kissed her hand gently. "Let's go back, my beautiful princess."

"What are you talking about?!" Shihna demanded, yanking her hand away. "I'm the one that guards the princess, which happens to be you," Zelos said. He took her hand again. "Now, let's go!" He started dragging Shihna back to the others. "What?! I'm not your princess, you stupid, philandering, womanizing..." Shihna named all of the bad things Zelos could be as he pulled her back. Zelos just continued smiling. _Apology accepted_, he said inside his head.

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Their argument...was really short. Sorry. XD I wanted to make it longer but my brain just died. Just totally...died. But Zelos actually got angry. Yay. XD In the end he really wants to protect Shihna. That was really what I wanted to show.

And for those who don't know...yes Refill is the Japanese equivalent of Raine. I really have no idea why they even named her Refill in the first place so it makes sense that they changed it to Raine in the English version. XD


	23. Master Zelos

* * *

Shihna turned around in her futon. Today she really didn't want to get out of bed. She pulled the blanket over head. Today wouldn't be a good day. But why did she get the feeling that she was being watched? She pushed the blanket away and found herself looking at the face of...Zelos Wilder.

"AAAHHHH!" She screamed. Zelos covered his ears. "Shh. Calm down. It's just me!"

"I can't calm down because it's you!" Shihna yelled. "Now get out!" She threw her pillow at him. "Oomph. I just came her to see-" He got whacked by the pillow again. "Get out!" She yelled again. "But I-" "How am I going to change if you're in the room?!" Zelos raised his eyebrows. "Well, I could just stay here and watch-" Shihna grabbed him by the ear and started pulling him outside. "Stay out!" She dumped him on the floor and slammed her bedroom door shut. "That hurt!" Zelos whined rubbing his ear. He sighed and stared at the bowl of oranges that sat on Shihna's table. The door slid open. "So exactly what are you doing here again?" Shihna asked. "Do I need a reason?" Zelos asked, still staring at the oranges. "If you don't have a reason don't come."

"You don't want to see me?" Zelos turned around and gave her his best innocent child face. "You don't like me, Shihna?" Shihna sweatdropped. "I-it's not that. It's just-" "Shihna doesn't love me any more!" Zelos whined. "More like...I've never loved you," Shihna pointed out. "See! See! You don't love me!!" Zelos curled up in a ball and started whimpering. "Meanie..." Shihna sighed. "Honestly, you can be such a little kid!" Zelos didn't respond. She kneeled down next to him. "Zelos...are you okay?" He shook his head. "Shihna hates me..."

"What am I going to do with you?" Shihna demanded. "Call me Master Zelos and say you're sorry," Zelos whined. "Eh?" Shihna sweatdropped. _Master Zelos?..._She sighed. "Master Zelos," she whispered in his ear. "I'm sorry." Oh Martel...this made her feel sick. Zelos' back suddenly stiffened. "Shihna. Do me a favour."

"Huh?" A favour? "Never say that ever again," Zelos said. "What? But don't your fangirls call you that too?" Zelos shook his head. "You're different." _She's just too cute. Too cute! _He covered his mouth. "What?" Shihna demanded. "We're supposed to see the king in half an hour, you know," Zelos changed the subject. "The king...in half an hour?" The words echoed through her head. "I don't have any time!" She ran back into her room. "Hmm..." _Maybe next time I should buy her a maid costume..._ Zelos thought. _Maid outfit hmm..._

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: The end just went...weird. Sorry. XD Again...dun dun DUN! The next chapter will be...I don't know. XD 


	24. Diary

* * *

Zelos sighed as he stared out of Shihna's living room window. "Shihhnnnaaaa, I'm bored," he whined. "You've barely been here for an hour," Shihna said, placing a cup of tea in front of him. "But you're being so cold!" Zelos whined again. "That's how I always am towards an idiot like you," Shihna pointed out. "But Lloyd's stupider than me and you treat him much better," Zelos said, tugging on Shihna's sash. Shihna pulled it away from him and whacked him in the head. "_He_ doesn't try to peek at me in the shower!" She glared at him. "Aw, come on. You're _still_ mad about that?" Shihna whacked him again. "Of course." Zelos rubbed his head, whimpering. "You're so mean."

"I wouldn't be mean if you didn't act like such a pervert," Shihna said, turning away. "I'm going to take a shower and if you even _try_ to peek I'll kill you." Zelos was very aware that she was serious. She'd probably take out Volt and...he shuddered.

He looked down at his cup of tea and then he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. There was a red book sitting close to him on the floor. He picked it up. Was this Shihna's diary? He looked at the lock attached to it. "Hmm..." He looked back down at the floor and noticed the key. "She can be so careless sometimes," he said, sweatdropping. He picked up the key and stuck it inside the lock. Of course he wasn't guilty at all about invading Shihna's privacy. At all. He opened the book.

_"Dear Diary,_

_Today I went to Iselia to speak with the mayor. To be honest...I can't stand that guy. He's even worse than Zelos. He's rude, obnoxious and he's so hard to deal with. When I say that it looks like I'm describing Zelos. It's all that idiot's fault for all this. If he hadn't sent me as the peace emissary to Iselia I wouldn't have to do all this..."_

Did she really hate her job that much? Well, he didn't even _ask_ her if she wanted to do it. Naturally she would be angry. He knew that, yet he still told the king that Shihna would go anyways. He continued reading.

_"Dear Diary,_

_I ended up staying at Zelos' house for dinner last night. I was actually really nervous. I really wanted to tell him...that I..."_

Zelos stared at the page, wondering exactly what she wanted to say. She hadn't written anything after that. Or did she use invisible ink? He looked at the book closer. Nothing. "What are you doing?" Zelos almost threw the book out the window. "Oh crap..." He felt Shihna's glare boring into his back. "Heh heh...I was just curious about what this was. I didn't know that it was yours and-" Shihna hit him hard in the head. "Liar! You knew that was my diary and you-" "Whoa, whoa hunny! Calm down I was just-" The people of Mizuho turned their heads towards Shihna's house when they heard a loud crash.

"Ow! Ow! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Zelos cried, covering his head. Shihna sat on top of him. "You're heavy," Zelos groaned. "Hmph," Shihna whacked him in the head again. "There goes all my brain cells..." Zelos sighed and made himself more comfortable. It felt weird with Shihna on his back. "Hey, Shihna..." He tried to turn his head to look at her. "What?" Shihna asked, annoyance still in her voice. "What did you want to tell me?"

"What?" She had no idea what he was talking about. "When you came to my house for dinner last night..." Shihna practically jumped off of Zelos' back. "N-nothing! It was nothing!" She turned away so he couldn't see her red face. "Hmm..." He stood up and brushed himself off. "Could it be something like...'Oh, Zelos. I love you so much. I want to be with you forever'," Zelos said, imitating Shihna's voice. "Or something?" Shihna stiffened. "N-no way...I would never say a stupid thing like that to _you_ of all people."

"Aww...I'm so hurt," Zelos said, taking a few steps closer. "You're denying it," he said softly, blowing on Shihna's ear. "Gyaah!" She covered her ear. She turned and glared at him. "What are you doing?!" Zelos grinned. "That's still your weak point, isn't it?" She glared at him. "Well then, I should get going," Zelos stated cheerfully. "Oh..." They started walking towards the door. "Sad that I'm leaving so soon, hunny?" Zelos asked, sliding open the door. "You wish."

"Heh. Next time you stay for dinner you can tell me what you wanted to say to me." Shihna stuck her tongue out at him. Zelos kissed her on the forehead. "It's a promise, okay?" Shihna couldn't respond. "Bye!" Zelos started jogging away. He turned around and waved. "You're definately telling me next time!" Shihna held her hand up to her forehead. "Maybe I won't!" She yelled back. She closed her door when he was out of sight. "Idiot..."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: What was it that she wanted to say I wonder? XD It might not even be the obvious "I love you" kind of thing. I'll leave you to think what you want. My friendy wend has been wanting to read this one forever. :P So I finished it. Yay. 


	25. Be Happy

* * *

"She's been out there for almost an hour now," Lloyd said, looking out the window at Shihna who was standing in the rain. Nobody could convince her to go back inside. Not even Lloyd could. Zelos also looked outside, his eyes dark. He didn't even want to try. He'd probably make the situation worse. "She's going to get really sick if she stays out there any longer," Genius pointed out, sitting at the table doing his homework.

Zelos pressed his head against the glass. He should've known something was wrong when Shihna kept on saying that she was okay and everything was fine. Was she making herself endure punishment or something? He felt like such an idiot for not knowing what to do. Could he do anything? Anything at all? He didn't want to lose another person. He couldn't let this happen. Not like what happened to his mother...

He knew...that Corrine's death wasn't Shihna's fault. That was his choice to make. Shihna needed to know that. Even if it was her fault...he would fool her into thinking it wasn't. Anything to make her happy...anything. If only he could...get her to trust him. Of course he knew that he didn't deserve it. Not one bit. He was such a liar. She was right not to believe him. But now...he would give away anything just for her trust. Lloyd handed him an umbrella. "Zelos, you want to bring Shihna back, don't you?" Zelos stared at Lloyd. "Sometimes I wonder if you're really stupid or not," he said. "_Hey_," Lloyd grumbled, "I'm doing you a favour, okay?"

"Thanks, bud." Zelos stepped outside and opened the umbrella. He shut the door behind him. Shihna didn't even turn to look at who was there. "Shihna..." he said, softly. "You're going to catch something." She didn't respond. Zelos held the umbrella above Shihna's head. "I know that you're feeling bad about Corrine, but it really wasn't your fault. Nobody wanted this to happen it's-" "It's all my fault," Shihna said. "If I hadn't said that he couldn't do anything he wouldn't be dead now." She seemed to choke out the word "dead". Zelos sighed. "It was Corrine's choice to save you. He doesn't want to see you like this now. He wanted you to live, you know that? He wants you to be happy," he said. "I want you to be happy too..."

Shihna shook her head. "Do I really deserve happiness?" Did she?..."Of course. Everybody does," Zelos said, wishing that Shihna would turn around and face him. "Let's go back inside." He took her hand in his. Shihna let him pull her back inside. Everybody looked up from what they were doing. "Oh, Shihna. You're back. We were so worried!" Collet ran up to her and took her hands in hers. "Come on! I'll prepare a bath for you and..." Zelos sweatdropped as he watched Collet dissapear with Shihna. "I'm going to take a shower," he said, also heading upstairs. "Zelos doesn't know that he's the one that understands Shihna best does he?" Genius asked. Lloyd shrugged. "He's always joking around, but I can tell that he really cares about Shihna." Genius sighed. "He'd never admit a thing like that." "Yeah."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Zelos stepped out of his room with a towel around his shoulders. He wondered if he should see Shihna or not. He hadn't expected her to come back inside so willingly. It was Shihna, after all. He paused in front of her door. Would she even want to see him? He knocked, quietly. "Come in." Zelos took a deep breath and opened the door. "Shihna?" He closed the door behind him. Shihna looked up from her position on her bed. "Feeling better?" Zelos asked. He had trouble seeing his face because there was a towel on her head and she happened to be scouring her head, trying to get her hair to try faster. "How long does it take for your hair to dry?" she asked, avoiding Zelos' question. Zelos chuckled at how frustrated Shihna sounded. "Dunno...I just kind of leave it for a while," he replied, cheerfully.

Shihna continued scrubbing her head. "Here." Zelos sat down next to her and pulled the towel off her head. He smoothed her hair down with this fingers. "Your hair's gonna dry fast," Zelos said, taking a few strands of it. "Just be patient."

"But I hate the feeling of having wet hair," Shihna pouted. "Oh, really? Is that why your hair is so short?" So that's why she didn't grow her hair out. He had always wondered why. "That and I don't feel like bothering with it," Shihna said. "Hmm...well you could just get me to do your hair for you."

"No thanks," Shihna said, quickly. Zelos placed the towel back on Shihna's head. "Why did you come back with me so fast anyways? I was expecting you to run away from me," Zelos said, softly. "I was surprised by what you said," Shihna replied. "What?..." Zelos rested his chin on Shihna's head. "You said that you wanted me to be happy," Shihna mumbled. "I meant it," Zelos said. "Be happy, okay?" He pulled away and got off the bed. "G'night Shihna."

"Night..." Shihna watched him turn and left the room. "...Thank you, Zelos."

* * *

SakuMeiMei: Sorry for the delay! (Or something...) I'm not very happy right now. I just left my memory card at my friend's house who happens to live in a semi-faraway place and I won't be able to get a ride there for at least a month so now I'm sad. I get...NO TALES OF SYMPHONIA FOR AT LEAST A MONTH. What sucks even more...I won't have as much inspiration because I don't have the game right in front of me. Hyuuu...

Now, about the actual story. I'm sorry. It's so similar to one of the earlier chapters. Sorry, sorry, sorry! I didn't notice until I was more than halfway through it and I didn't want to waste it. The next one will be better, I promise.


	26. Photobooth

* * *

"Hey, Shihna! Over there!" Zelos pointed at something in the distance. "What is it now?" Shihna asked, irritated. For the past few hours Zelos had been dragging her around the city pointing at random things and dragging her over for a closer look. Wasn't he living in Meltokio? Wasn't he used to these things already? "Come on!" Zelos grabbed her hand and started pulling her over to whatever he was looking at. "Hey!" Shihna struggled to catch up with him. "What exactly do you see anyways?!" He stopped running suddenly. "This." Shihna almost crashed into him. 

"This?..." She tilted her head. "A photobooth," Zelos said, grinning. "A photobooth?" Shihna repeated. "Yep." It occured to her that maybe he would want to get _in_ it. "Wait. I'm not going to go in there. That's just-" Zelos pulled her inside. "Seriously, I don't-" Zelos made Shihna sit down in his lap. "What kind of backround do you want?" he asked, looking at the screen. "It doesn't matter," Shihna said, untangling Zelos' arms from around her and getting off his lap. How did she get herself into situations like this anyways? She had just finished having a meeting with the king and this idiot came up and dragged her off somewhere. "Then...this one!" Shihna turned to look at the screen. "What?! But that-" "You said it didn't matter," Zelos pointed out. "But that's...so..." Shihna's face reddened. The backround that Zelos chose...had so many hearts and...

If anybody saw this picture she would never be able to live. A picture with her and Zelos like this? They would definately look like a couple. A couple! She couldn't let that happen...would never let that happen. Ever. "I'll wait for you outside," Shihna said, getting up to leave. Zelos grabbed her wrist. "You're staying right here." He pulled her back down. "You're staying right here."

"Lemme go!" Shihna squealed, trying to get away. "And it'll say...Zelos and Shihna Love Love Forever!" Zelos shouted. "WHAT?! No way!" Too late. "Smile!" The camera flashed in their faces. "Another one!" Zelos said, inserting more gald into the machine. "How much gald are you going to waste on this?" Shihna asked, her eyebrows raised. "You don't have to worry about that, hun," was the reply. "Hmph."

How long did they spend in there anyways? It seemed like forever with the light flashing in their eyes...and she swore that she heard people talking about them from outside. "Done!" Zelos exclaimed, cheerfully. Well, at least he was done messing with the photobooth. Of course he would be running after something else he thought was interesting later. She wished he could run out energy. It was like he was stealing it from her or something.

Shihna took a deep breath as she stepped outside. It felt good to be out of the cramped booth. Even better because she probably couldn't stand another moment in there with Zelos. She wondered many times did he try to touch her in an inappropriate way. Then again, she thought it would be better not knowing. Zelos looked at the pictures that they took. "Hmm...I have two sets so Shihna can have one set and I can keep the other one..." he mumbled to himself, sorting out the cards. "Here you go!" He handed Shihna a pile of their pictures. "You're so cute, but you looked so uncomfortable!" He whined. "It was because I was with you!" Shihna protested. "Do you really hate being with me that much?" Zelos asked, looking through the pictures again. "Maybe I should run around with these and tell everybody that we're a couple!"

"NO WAY!" Shihna yelled at the top of her lungs. "Are you nuts?! That would be-I would be..." She would die of humiliation and...and...what was she going to do about Zelos' rabid fangirls? These pictures had her death written all over them. "Heh heh. Thinking about what would happen if I showed everyone, aren't you?" Zelos asked, snickering. "Y-you! If you try to do anything I'll-" "Don't worry, my voluptuous hunny," Zelos interrupted. "As long as you keep loving me, I won't do anything." He winked at her. "There's no way I would love you..." Shihna mumbled. "Oh, really?" Zelos grinned. "Hey, everybody!" he started shouting. "Shihna's my-" She immediately covered his mouth. "Shut up!" she hissed.

Zelos pulled Shihna's hand off his mouth. "But you said you didn't love me!" he whined. "Does _anybody_ love you?" The question popped out of Shihna's mouth. "Err...that's not what I meant to say I...uhhh..." What was with her and saying stupid things? "Ah, well. Let's go, Shihna," Zelos said, brushing her comment off as if it was nothing. "Eh? But..." Zelos started pulling her in the direction of something he thought was interesting. "You're not mad?" Shihna asked, cautiously. "Of course not!" Zelos replied, cheerfully. "Let's go eat somewhere." She nodded, gripping his hand tighter. "Sorry..."

"Hmm...that's so unlike you, Shihna. Usually you're happy when you say heartless comments like that," he pointed out. "Don't worry about it," he said, turning to her and hitting her lightly on the head. "Let's go." He led her towards a cafe. "It was fun..." Shihna mumbled. "Just a little bit though."

"I'll take you out like this again, 'kay?" Shihna nodded. "Okay."

"It's a promise then!"

Now if only she could get him to forget that he had picture of them together. Maybe she could somehow brainwash him and burn all of the pictures. As if. She sighed. If only...

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: The ending sucked. It sucked so bad. So I'm sorry...again. I just didn't know how to end this one and it just went out of control. Eeks. Sorry, sorry, sorry! 

Oh. I didn't tell you about my picture yet, did I? The front cover of 1000 Wishes...is actually done! Actually it's been done for quite a long time now. Please go to Deviantart and check it out if you haven't yet! Just search for SakuMeiMei and you should find it. I tried really hard on it. Even though it has so many flaws...I still love it! XD

Actually I don't like pictures. I don't like anything relating to cameras. Believe me. It's true. XD But I get the feeling that if I cosplay I won't be scared of the camera. Especially if I'm Zelos. (I will be cosplaying as Zelos next year. XD) And whenever a girl asks me for a picture I would say,"Anything for you, cutie." or something along those lines. And then me and my buddies will waste money on a photobooth! I want it to be the kind that has the big cards and not the little stickers. I just like the card ones for some weird reason. I can stick them in my wallet. XD


	27. Someone Special

* * *

Shihna dashed up the stairs leading towards the castle. "I'm late! I'm late!" Oh, why did she have to sleep in? She almost tripped and fell flat on her face on the last step.

"Hey! You there!" She ignored it the first time, thinking they were calling someone else. "Hey!" She stopped and turned around. "Shihna!" They knew her name? She had never seen this person before. How would they know? Or had she? Oh, right. She was one of Zelos' groupies. The blonde one with the really squeaky voice. _Riiigghht..._

What did she want anyways? It wasn't like she _liked_ Shihna or anything. It was the exact opposite. Shihna sighed. There was no way she was going to be on time. "Stay away from Master Zelos."

"What?" Shihna looked at her, wondering if she had heard correctly. "Stay away from Master Zelos," the other girl repeated. What was her name again? Jessica? Patricia? Oh, wait. Now, she remembered. Portia. What was with rich people and giving their kids strange names that looked really weird when you wrote them out anyways? "And you want me to do that...why?" Shihna asked, her eyebrows raised. "H-he doesn't even like you," was the reply. "Huh?" She didn't have time for this! Shihna turned around and started walking towards the castle again. "He's only with you because of your body, you know." She stopped walking. What was with people and talking about her body? "Everybody knows that he likes good looking girls. You know that too. That's the only reason why he says he likes you. He wouldn't be interested in someone like you."

Shihna couldn't find a response. Sure, Zelos was always teasing her and saying perverted things, but...he liked her, right? Not as anything special...but she was his friend, wasn't she? There was no way he could _pretend_ he understood her. "You're nothing special. You're not smart and you don't come from a good family. What does he see in you anyways?" She had heard so many insults for so many years...but they never stopped hurting. "Does that matter?" someone asked. Shihna turned to where she heard the voice. "Zelos?"

"M-Master Zelos!" Portia exclaimed, surprised to see him standing there, smiling like the cocky idiot he was. "Should I be hearing this from someone who says they like me because of my status?" he inquired, staring at her straight on. "I-I uhh..." Portia stuttered. She couldn't say that she didn't. All three of them knew it would be a lie if she said she liked Zelos for more than his status and power. "The reason I like Shihna is because she treats me like a normal person. She doesn't look at me just because I'm the Chosen. She's friends with me because she likes me for who I am unlike the rest of you." He grabbed Shihna's hand and started walking up the steps to the castle. "Then...why are you so friendly with everybody?!" Portia demanded. "It's my duty as the Chosen," he said, cheerfully. "Of course...I'm not really the Chosen any more but I'm still a gentleman aren't I?" He started opening the doors to the castle. "Is it really okay just to leave it like that?" Shihna asked. "Yep," Zelos replied cheerfully. "Perfectly fine." He sighed. "But now we have to apologize to the king for being late." Shihna sweatdropped. "Yeah..."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Shihna sighed. "It's finally over!" She stretched her arms as they walked down the path to Zelos' house. "That meeting was so long!" It had lasted till the sun had almost set. Along the edges of the sky orangey-red tints of the remainder of the sunset. "It was so boring I almost fell asleep," Zelos commented. "That's not something you should be proud of," Shihna said, hitting him on the arm. She hit him less hard than usual though because her thoughts were still on what happened earlier. "Still thinking about what my hunny said?" Zelos asked. "Eh?" Zelos repeated his question. "Oh...uhh..." Shihna hesitated. "You don't like me...for just my looks, do you?"

Zelos covered his mouth to hold back his laughter. "What?!" Shihna demanded. "Did you actually believe her?" Zelos asked, snickering. "O-of course not!" Shihna exclaimed. "Th-then...don't ask!" Zelos said, bursting into laughter. Shihna hit him in the head. "It's not funny!" she yelled, which only made him laugh harder. It took a while for him to calm down. "Jeez, Shihna. You can be so clueless sometimes," he said. "Huh?" Question marks floated above Shihna's head. "You'll always be my favourite hunny," he said, placing his hand on her head. "And it has nothing to do with your looks," he added. Shihna's face reddened. "Does that answer your question?" She nodded. "Good." He pulled his hand away and started walking again. Shihna followed. "Hey...Zelos." She had to ask him one more thing. "Hmm?"

"Aren't you going to lose your fans?" Shihna asked. "You prefer having competition?" was the answer. "W-what?! That's not what I meant!" Her body temperature rose again. "It doesn't really matter," Zelos said. "They're not anything special to me." He reached into his pocket for his keys. "Are you staying over tonight, Shihna?" She nodded. He opened the door and stepped inside. "What do you want for dinner tonight?" he asked. "It doesn't matter."

"Of course it does!"

"Anything's fine."

"Then...you'll be fine with my warm embrace."

"That's not edible! And I don't want it!!"

_I want to be with you, the person who likes me for being me. I want to be someone special, even if it's only for one person. I want that one person to be you._

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: There was...a bunch of weird sentences in this one. Really. XD I'm sorry. (I've been saying sorry a lot lately.) The "encounter with angsty fangirl" should've been longer. When I was thinking of this one...it wasn't so short but when I went to write it I totally forgot what I wanted to write!! I'm sorry! (There I go again.) The ending was iffy too. Eh heh. 


	28. Forever NOT Yours

* * *

"Shihna, wakey wakey!" Shihna pulled the covers over her head. "Mmmph." Zelos pulled on the blanket. "C'mon, hunny! Rise and shine!" Why did he have to wake her up so early? It wasn't like they had anything to do. "Let me sleep!" She groaned. "You're so lazy," Zelos said. "I don't care," she mumbled. Zelos sat on the bed. "Lazzzyyy..." He laid down on top of her. "What are you doing?!" Shihna pushed him away, her face red. "Hmm...I should've done that first."

"Get off, you idiot!" She started hitting him to get him off. "Oomph! Alright, alright!" He jumped off the bed and stuck his tongue out at Shihna. "Ice cream," she demanded. "Hmm?"

"Ice cream," she said again. "I'll get outta bed if you give me ice cream." Zelos stared at her for a while. "Do you want to get fat?" She threw a pillow in his face. "Are you buying it or what?!" Zelos sweatdropped. "Sure..."

Moments later Zelos tapped his foot impatiently at the bottom of the stairs. He sighed. "Shihna! Hurry up!" he yelled. "Coming!" Shihna ran down the stairs. "Took you long enough. Does it really take that long to put on that outfit of yours?"

"Sh-shut up! It's not like you don't take a long time to get ready!" she retorted, her face red. Zelos grinned. "Let's go," he said cheerfully. He grabbed Shihna's hand and headed out the door. "You're so annoying!" Shihna yelled. "Isn't that why you love me?" he asked. "There's no way I would ever love you!" They continued arguing as they walked down the street, not paying attention to the people who turned to stare. "What kind of ice cream do you want, Shihna?" Zelos asked in the middle of things. "You stu-" Shihna stopped in the middle of her sentence. "...Vanilla," she replied, quietly. "Okay, then." He turned to the owner of the ice cream stall. "One vanilla and..." He turned to Shihna again. "Anything else?" She shook her head. "That's it, then."

Zelos handed her the ice cream. "Thanks," she said, quietly. "The Chosen's so lucky," the stall owner commented. "Having a cute girlfriend like that." Shihna felt her face get hot. "I-I'm not his-" "Adorable, isn't she?" Zelos interrupted. He put his arm around her shoulder. "Well, then. Let's go!"

"I'm not even your girlfriend!" Shihna protested. Zelos just laughed. He was obviously enjoying himself. "Hmmm...I wonder what Shihna's ice cream tastes like," he said, cheerfully. "Get your own," she said, turning away so he couldn't take it. "C'mon. Don't be selfish."

"Get away, you stupid Chosen!" she yelled. "But I want it!" Zelos whined. "Go buy your own then!" she retorted, angrily. "But I want _yours_," he said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her hand close enough so he could lick her ice cream. "Idiot..." she mumbled. "Tastes good," he said, cheerfully. "Hmph."

"Let's walk around a bit," he said, taking her free hand and pulling her along. "Uhnn..." Shihna let herself get dragged along. "Want to go anywhere in particular?" Zelos asked. She shook her head. "Hmmm..." They continued walking along. Shihna paused at a display window as she was finishing her ice cream. "Hmm? You like the teddy bear?" Zelos asked, peering at the window too. "I-I wouldn't like a thing like that! I was just looking!" Shihna replied quickly, her face red. Zelos tilted his head slightly. "I can buy it for you if you want."

"I don't want it!" She started running away hurriedly. "Whoa, wait!" Zelos paused to look at the bear one more time and ran after her. "Shihna!" He caught up to her, almost out of breath. "Slow down..." he huffed. She walked slightly slower so he could catch his breath. "Jeez, Shihna. Taking off like that..."

"Sorry," she mumbled. "Well, then..." He looked around. "How about you wait for me on this bench?" he suggested. "Eh?" she looked at him, surprised. "If you're busy you can just tell me. I could just-" "Nope. I just have to go somewhere for a bit," he interrupted. "...Okay then." Shihna sat down on the bench. "Be back in a bit, hunny," he said. "I've told you so many times not to call me that," Shihna said, but he had already left. She sighed. What was he doing anyways? His eyes seemed to be hiding something. She sat back and looked around her. Why did it seem that so many of the people walking by were couples? She felt slightly envious of them. Their laughter. Their smiles. She felt so lonely. Now that Zelos wasn't there to pester her she felt...empty. What was taking him so long? Or was her impatience just making it seem that he was gone a long time? Wait...why did she want him to come back? She mentally slapped herself. It was_ Zelos_. Since when did she like him that much? He was just...himself. There was nothing between them at all. Nothing!

Suddenly, a rose appeared in front of her face. She looked up to see that it was held in the brown paws of the teddy bear that she saw earlier. She stared at it for a while, not sure what to say. "Happy?" Zelos asked. Shihna finally noticed that the person who was holding the bear in front of her was Zelos. "Ze-Zelos!" He sweatdropped. "Who did you think it was?" he asked, handing her the bear. "You're not the type of person to do a thing like that," Shihna pointed out. "Oh, really? I'm hurt," he said in a super whiny voice. "Idiot." Shihna got up and started walking away. "Hey, wait!" Zelos chased after her. "Don't leave me behind!" he whined. She turned her face away from him. "Hmm?" He tried to get a good look at her face. "Is Shihna happy?" he asked, cheerfully."O-Of course not!"

"Your face is red," Zelos pointed out. "N-no, it's not!" He poked her in the nose playfully. "You're so cute when you're embarassed," he said, poking her again. "You're secretly happy that I gave you a present, but you don't want to say anything. Right?"

"I...just..." she hesitated. "...Thank you." Zelos wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "You're welcome." Shihna's eyes widened. "Let's go!"

What was this feeling? That she should be here...with Zelos...that it just felt like they could be like this forever. "Let's go eat lunch, somewhere," he said. Shihna nodded. Why was he so warm? His body was just so...she couldn't describe it. Why was she thinking about this anyways? Her face flushed. "We really look like a couple, don't we?" Zelos asked. Shihna noticed that he was grinning. For some reason it annoyed her. Very much. "I wouldn't be your girlfriend if you gave me everything in the world!" she snapped. "Hmmhmm! We'll see about that."

"There's no way you could _ever_ win me over!"

"Oh _really_?"

"Really!"

There was no way she would give him a chance. Ever. He would _never_ be able to make her fall in love with him. EVER.

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: There's no point in fighting it, Shihna! You're already in love with him! You just won't admit it! XD Bum ba bum! I've been wanting to do this one for a while...and even though I say that I took so long to write it. I AM SO SORRY. But so much happened. Loads. I was going to finish it yesterday too, but I had this really freaky nightmare that screwed me up for almost the entire day. Sorry! XD I actually didn't like this one so much in the beginning. Or any of it...actually. XD I liked the part where Zelos bought the bear for Shihna though. Ah...marvelous! XD

The next one will be something hard for me to write, I think. So I'll try my hardest! Look forward to it! And the next one too because it'll be huge! XD


	29. Accident

* * *

Shihna sighed as she looked down at the letter she was writing. It was always so hard writing letters to the king. "How come I have to do this?" she demanded. She turned to Zelos who was sitting next to her. "Well, you're the emissary of peace," Zelos pointed out. "You never said I had to write letters and go around with _you_," she said, irritated. "You're so mean," Zelos whined. "If I'm so mean, then why are you always with me?!"

"It's because you're so cute!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around her and hugging her tightly. "Ah! You idiot! Get off!" Shihna tried to shove him off. "You're heavy!" she yelled. "But your body's so soft and-" "GET OFF!" Zelos pulled away reluctantly. "If you keep on going on like that you'll be single for life, you know." Shihna turned back to her letter. "Better than being with you," she retorted. "That hurts, hunny."

"Good," she said, checking over her work. "But you won't be able to get with Lloyd, either," he said, scooching over so he was right next to her. "I don't care," she said. "Oh, really? Why does it look like you're trying so hard to keep a straight face, then?" There was silence for a few seconds. "See? I'm right, aren't I? You sti-" "Get out." Zelos froze. "Huh?"

"Get out of my house!" Shihna yelled, throwing a pillow at him. "Oomph!" The pillow hit him in the face. "I can't work with you here!" she yelled. "But-" "GET OUT!" She threw more objects at him. "Whoa! Whoa! Stop! I'm sorry! Really!"

Shihna sighed and stopped attacking him. She turned back to the letter. Zelos raised his eyebrows. "You're still angry, aren't you?" No response came. He rested his chin on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, hunny," he said, quietly. She turned away and shook him off. "Hmmm..." He moved closer. "Really..." He gently blew on her ear. "What are you-" Shihna turned around to find Zelos' face right in front of hers. "Mmph!" She blinked several times. Her lips were...against his?! The calligraphy pen that Shihna was holding fell from her hand and made black splotches all over the paper that she was writing on. She quickly pulled away. "What are you doing?!" she demanded. "Nothing...you were the one that crashed into me," Zelos said calmly. "It felt good though." Shihna's face flushed. "Don't think that I like you or anything! It was all an accident!"

"Do you want to try again?" he asked. "Yes! No! What am I saying?!" She hated it when she acted like this in front of him. "I-I..." She stopped herself. "It's okay if you want another one," Zelos said, cheerfully. She wanted to slap him in the face. "I don't want a thing like that." She stood up. "Where are you going?" he asked. She didn't bother answering.

"Yoo hoo! Shiiihhhnnnaa!" He followed her out of the room. "Go home," she said. "Eh?" She started pushing Zelos towards the door. "I really can't do any work with you here," she said. "Or are you just embarassed bec-" "It's nothing! Really!"

"_Really_?" He looked at her skeptically. "It's really nothing," she said, knowing that she wasn't convincing him at all. "I'll see you tomorrow then." She nodded. "And before it really was an accident..." he said, facing the door. "I know..."

Shihna was caught off guard when he suddenly turned around. "What is it?" she asked. She found her body temperature rising for the second time that day when he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. "See ya!" He swivelled around, opened the door and left. Shihna touched her cheek where he had kissed it. "...Idiot." Oh well. She could hit him tomorrow. She got the feeling that she would be dealing with him...for a very long time.

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Of course she'll deal with him for a long time. XD In marriage. Heh heh. This one was...hard to do. Believe me. I had a hard time. XD I didn't really know where it was going.

Chapter 30...might be the last one for a really long time. So I'm sorry if I don't update for about a month. I'm going to Hong Kong/China (gonna spend time in both) so it'll be hard to get access to a computer. Anyways, the next chapter will have a wedding. XD Yes, that's right. A wedding.


	30. True Happiness

* * *

Shihna stared at the big crowd assembled in front of the castle. _What?_ Was something happening today that she didn't know about? She noticed Zelos' fangirls. They were...crying? Did something happen to Zelos? She found herself starting to worry. Was he okay? "Attention everybody!" She looked up. "The Chosen is..."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Zelos happened to be reading a book when Shihna burst into his room, gasping and out of breath. "Shihna? I thought you were going to see the king today." There was no response but Shihna's heavy breathing for a while. "You're...engaged?" she managed to say. "...Yeah."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded. "I was going to tell you today, but I guess you figured it out all by yourself," he replied. His calmness annoyed her. She wanted the usual carefree Zelos to be there, not this calm one. "But why...Princess Hilda?" She had never thought that Zelos would choose _her_ of all people. "I have my reasons," he said. "What are they?" she asked. She wasn't satisfied at all with his answer. She wanted to know. "You'll understand after a while."

"I want to understand _right now_!" Zelos' book dropped on the floor. "I'm sorry..." Shihna's eyes widened as he hugged her. "What are you doing? You're engaged to the princess! You can't do this. I-" "I want to hold you for one last time." She hated herself for still blushing at his words. He never meant it, but she still..."I...I can't do this!" She pushed him away. "I can't!" He watched as she ran out of the room. He heard her run down the stairs and out the door. _Was this really the right thing to do?_ he wondered.

For the next few days he didn't see Shihna at all. Not even a glance. "You miss her, don't you?" Princess Hilda asked. "Hmm?" He got out of his daydream and turned to face her. "Shihna." Oh, right. He was at the castle with the princess. He was so busy thinking that he had forgotten. "I think...it's better like this." Hilda held back a sigh. She knew that she meant nothing to Zelos. She had the suspicion that he was only marrying her because of Shihna and the people of Mizuho. However, she had no proof and being the princess meant she couldn't make any decision about who she was going to marry. In way Zelos was making her feel guilty. He had to marry her even though he didn't like her. She admitted that she did have feelings for Zelos, but...to take advantage of him like this just didn't feel right. What was the point if he didn't love her? Even if he said he did she wouldn't believe him. His heart belonged somewhere else...with her. Shihna. She had always been slightly jealous of her. She was so beautiful...and Hilda wasn't stupid. She could tell that Zelos adored her even if he didn't show it in front of her. "The wedding is tomorrow," she said. "Everything is prepared."

Zelos nodded. "Well then, I'll go home now. If I don't sleep I won't be able to stay awake for tomorrow," he said, feigning cheerfulness. He hoped that the princess didn't see through it. "Alright, then." She watched as one of the servants lead him out of the room. She looked down at the table where a few invitations that weren't sent yet sat. She picked up a pen and started writing on one of them.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Shihna found herself slightly surprised as she opened her mailbox to see an invitation to Zelos and Princess Hilda's wedding. Well, she was still one of his friends. Of course she would be invited. She was sure that Lloyd and the others were invited too. She turned the card over. "Hmm?" She was surprised to see Princess Hilda's neat handwriting.

_Dear Shihna,_

_Go see the Chosen as soon as possible. I'm sure he wants to see you. This must seem strange to you considering how I'm his future wife, but I believe that he really wants to see you. He hasn't said anything but I'm sure he has something to say to you. Thank you._

_Princess Hilda _

Shihna stared at the words for a little while. The princess wanted her to see Zelos? He...wanted to see her? The wedding was at five...meaning she had less than three hours. _I have to hurry._ She remembered that she had left her formal clothing at Zelos' house. She started running. What did he want to see her for?

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Once Shihna had landed her rheaird and entered Meltokio she was surprised by how many people were there. Had the streets ever been more crowded? Well, she was a ninja after all. She could handle this.

Oh, _sure_. She could handle everything back there, but the situation that stood before her afterwards was worse. Exactly _why_ was everybody crowded in front of Zelos' house? It wasn't like the wedding was going to be there. It was going to be in the church! She sighed. Coming early was a good idea after all. At least half an hour had passed as she went through the crowds earlier. She didn't want to bother with this, especially because Zelos' annoying groupies were there. Shihna decided to enter from the back. She quickly jumped over the fence and dashed to the back of the house. Now she had to get up to the balcony of his room. She sweatdropped.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Shihna knocked on the door of his balcony. A maid opened the door for her and if she was surprised she didn't show it. Shihna stepped inside. "Zelos?" He turned his head. "Shihna? What are you doing here?" For a little while, Shihna just stared at him. She didn't think she had seen him looking more handsome than at that moment. His tuxedo was white, lined with gold and...exactly how long did it take him to put that on? There were so many buttons and..."Shihna?"

"Oh, uhh...on the invitation it said that you wanted to see me," she said, snapping out of her reverie. What was she thinking, anyways? Looking at Zelos like that..."Oh, really?" Zelos guessed that Princess Hilda had something to do with it. "I'm sorry I couldn't bring you a present or anything," she said, nervously. "That's fine. We've gotten enough presents as it is. Having you come is enough," he said. They could both feel the distance that had come between them. "Were the others invited too?" she asked. "Yep, all of them came," he said. "The princess says she wants to talk to you, by the way."

"Eh? With me?" What did the princess want to talk to her about? "Yeah, she wanted me to tell you when you got here," he said. "I'll go and see what she wants then," Shihna replied. "I'll...see you later, Zelos." She turned and jumped off the balcony. (SakuMeiMei's Weird Comment: That makes her sound suicidal. XD So sorry...) Zelos stared after her, wondering if he could ever see her the way he always had after the wedding.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Shihna stepped inside Princess Hilda's dressing room. "You wanted to see me?" she asked. "Yes," was the reply. If Shihna thought Zelos' outfit was complicated, Hilda's was way beyond it. "Do you love the Chosen?" the princess asked. "Eh?" Shihna found herself blushing. "I think he loves you, too," Hilda said, turning her face a little to look at Shihna. "Does it really matter if he loves me or not?" Shihna asked. "He's going to be married to you."

"That's why I have a plan."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

He had expected a lot of people, but not this many. The church was packed and outside there was even more people that were waiting anxiously. More than anything, Zelos was bored. He just wanted to get through this. What was with everybody and making a huge deal out of things just because he was getting married? He wasn't the Chosen any more...well, maybe if he had decided to marry someone other than the _princess_ there would be less of a commotion. But, what could he do? He had made this choice...

As the wedding started Zelos' thoughts travelled. He kept on thinking until his bride appeared. _How long did it take her to put _that _on? _he wondered. The princess had to have a more elaborate wedding dress than anybody else, eh? There was something weird about her, though. She looked...different.

He didn't find out why until he lifted the veil off her face. "Shihna?" He couldn't believe what he was seeing. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "I switched places with Princess Hilda," Shihna answered quietly. "What?..."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

_"Put on this dress and go in my place," Hilda said. "Eh? I can't do a thing like that!" Shihna protested. "I've decided that I don't want to marry the Chosen," Hilda said. "So I, as the princess, order you to take my place."_

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

So she ended up wearing the extremely complicated and uncomfortable wedding dress instead. "Oh..." Zelos said. "What? Are you dissapointed?" Shihna demanded. "Of course not!" he said. "But..." He looked towards the crowd. "How are we going to deal with them?"

Shihna whispered something in his ear. "Sounds good," he said. They turned to the priest. "We're sorry!" they both said loudly. Zelos took one of Shihna's hands in one of his. "Let's go."

They ran out of the church as everybody else stared. "Do you have any regrets?" Shihna asked. "I might later, but not right now," was Zelos' reply. "Hmph."

_To be happy with you, I will go any distance. I love you so any sacrifice will be worth it._

* * *

I'm finally done! Yay! Rejoice! Be happy! I tried really, really hard on this one. I wanted to give up in the middle because I was so tired. That's why that part is so weird. Sorry. XD

As I said in chapter 29, this might be the last one for a really long time. Sorry in advance if this is the case. I'll be in Hong Kong for a bit and then mainland China.

Putting that aside, this chapter was...interesting. There was a surprising amount of scene changes and I'm sorry if it seemed jumpy. This was originally going to be chapter 40, but I changed my mind. I felt a bit sorry for Princess Hilda. Actually, I think I always feel a bit sorry for her. Seriously, who names their child Hilda? Especially if it's a princess! Anyways, Zelos-sama was jsut so...off in his own world. XD

Did you like the ending? I thought making them run away would be better than them getting married. XD What is this?..."Prevent them from getting married as much as possible?" I'm going to answer reviews since it's been a while and I might not be here or have enough time to do this. XD

**aCEMANIa- **Bum ba bum. First review answer thingy for today. Ah, yes. I read the Z-Skit Theater. (Some of it.) Writing sexual themes is a bit...strange for me. XD It's like "Why do I feel so young writing this?" Maybe it's because I am young, weird and don't like dealing with the real world. But really, who does? I get the feeling I have yet to reveal my age to public. o.o;; Anyways, thanks for reviewing!

**Dawnstarshine- **I shall go SakuMeiMei power-up update as much as possible this summer! Really. Anyways...I don't know what to say. O.o;; Err...yeah. I can't say anything. Sorry. XD But, thank you!

**Maxmagnus20019- **I'm sorry about chapter 12 not being that funny. It was hilarious when I first thought of it, but then when I actually wrote it...the whole thing died. I love it when Zelos changes a serious atmosphere with his silliness too. XD Thanks for reviewing so much! Out of all my readers I think you're the one that reviews the most! XD

**MoonlitInuko- **Inuko-chan!! I'm getting better? Yay. I'm glad somebody thinks so. XD Thank you!

**Demonic Waffle D2K- **Variety is always good. XD Makes me happy. It's hard finding Shihna and Zelos fics, eh? That's probably the reason why I try my hardest to update as much as I can. Refill is a weird name, isn't it? XD Some day I'm sure Shihna will look past Zelos' exterior. (As the writer should I really be writing something like that?!) XD Thank you for reviewing!

**Samurai Ryo- **It's too emotional? XD I always thought it lacked a bit. XD I'll try my best to update as much as I can.


	31. Birthday

* * *

It was her birthday. Finally...Shihna's twentieth birthday. In her previous years she never really felt any different about herself. Getting older by a year...she had still felt young inside. But this year she felt as if some of the things in her life were ending...and weren't coming back. She would be legal next year. She might have to get married...the thought made her sigh. Married? Her? Pfft. As if. 

It wasn't like nobody wanted her though. She stopped herself. That was just...she wouldn't go there. Shihna set her thoughts on the presents that she had recieved. This year she had gotten way more presents than she ever had in...a long time. She smiled at the thought of Collet giving her the scarf that she had awkwardly hand-knit. "May I ask exactly why I have to carry all of your presents, Shihna?" She turned her head to look at Zelos, who was carrying a bunch of boxes and bags. "Being the only one who didn't give me anything, shouldn't you at least be doing a small service?" she retorted. "I got you a present! It's just at home!" he whined. "Besides, I paid for dinner!" Shihna exhaled loudly through her mouth. "To think that the Chosen would be complaining about paying for dinner..."

"That was 10 450 gald for just your birthday party, hun," he said. "Well sorry for making you pay a whole bunch of gald for dinner then," she said, irritation in her voice. "I didn't mean it that way," Zelos said. "How does it feel...getting another year older?" he asked, changing the subject. Shihna raised an eyebrow. "It feels weird, I guess."

"How so?" he asked. "Something like...I'm really not a kid any more," she said. "Didn't you technically stop being a kid once you hit puberty, hunny?" Shihna's face turned pink at his words. "Th-that's not what I was getting at!" she protested. "I...I...realized that there are some things that I'll never be able to do any more and I'll miss them."

"But there's things that you can do that you couldn't when you were younger like uhhh...marriage and-" Shihna whacked Zelos in the shoulder, making him almost drop all of the packages in his arms. "I don't want to hear those things coming from you." He chuckled softly. "Worrying about marriage, already?" he asked. "Well, it is you after all so..." "What do you mean by that?!" she demanded. "It's better if you don't know," he replied. "Hey, Shihna...can you get my keys? They're in my pocket."

"Get them yourself," she said. "I can't. I'm carrying a bunch of stuff." She sighed and grabbed some of the packages. "Do you really want to avoid reaching into my pockets that much?" he asked. "Yes!" Shihna replied, loudly. The way he said things always seemed to make situations worse. Zelos' keys jingled as he unlocked the door. "Sebastian!!" he yelled loudly. "Yes, Master Zelos?" He handed Sebastian the packages he was carrying. "Take the ones that Shihna's carrying too," he said. "Yes, sir." Shihna sweatdropped, as she handed him the presents. "Happy Birthday, Miss. Fujibayashi," he said politely. "...Thank you."

She sat down on the couch. "So where's that present you said you had for me?" she asked, turning around to look at Zelos who was searching for something. "Just a sec, hunny." His eyes brightened as he found what he was looking for. "Got it." He picked up a medium sized box covered in lavender-coloured wrapping paper and a bow that was a darker shade of purple. "Here," he said, handing it to her as he sat on the couch. "So, how much did the giftwrapping cost?" she inquired. "Hmph, I wrapped it myself," he said, proudly. "Eh?!" She looked at him in surprise. "What kind of a reaction is that, hunny?" Zelos put a hurt expression on his face. "I...just didn't expect you to do a thing like this."

"Heh. The great Chosen, Zelos Wilder is better than you think," he said. She ignored him and opened the present. She stared at the contents of the box in silence. "Shihna?" He leaned forward slightly. "Are you...okay?" He had wondered if it was really a good idea to give her a present like that. Now he was sure that it was definately a bad idea. "...Corrine..." She picked up the stuffed animal that was made so well it could have been mistaken for the real thing. Tears came to her eyes. "Corrine..." Zelos quietly took the box off of Shihna's lap and set it on the coffee table. "...How did you...?..." Shihna's question drifted off. "I have my sources," he said. "...Do you like it?" he asked cautiously. She nodded. "Good."

Suddenly Shihna rushed forward and hugged him tightly. "Hmm?" He was surprised by her touch. "Thank you, Zelos," she mumbled in his ear. "No problem, hun," he replied, softly. "You okay?" She nodded. "I was surprised..." she said. "When I first opened the box I thought Corrine had really come back." Zelos gently patted her on the back. "That's how it should be." He wasn't about to tell her that it cost him five times the price of dinner. "I have a request for my birthday next year, though." She pulled away from him. "What?"

"Your hand in marriage," was his reply. "What?..." She stared at him, dumbfounded. "Your hand in marriage," he repeated. "I-I..." Her face reddened. "I'll wait for you if you want," he said. "I...need time to consider," she said nervously. "Take all the time you want." Shihna stood up. "I'm going to bed now." She quickly ran up the stairs and into her room. He noticed that she had left the Corrine plushie sitting on the couch. He picked it up. "Is she going to ever look at me?" he asked it. He looked up at Shihna's room. He would wait...

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: CRAPPY ENDING! XD I'm sorry! I wasn't even planning on having Zelos propose! Errr...if that's a good thing or a bad thing, I don't know. I almost didn't get to write the rest of this chapter because the computer at my uncle's house busted on me and I had to come over to my other uncle's house (where I'm writing this stuff now) and finish this thing.

Well that's how my luck is on my birthday. XD In a way I'm proud of it because something bad has happened every year ever since I've turned ten. XD Heh heh...Yeah, it's my birthday. July 27. I don't know what the date is for everybody else any more. I'm confused. XD Anyways...I'll answer reviews I find neccessary to answer and just kinda leave the rest for later. XD No, it's not like I don't love everybody else! I'm just lazy!

**WingedWithFireyMana-** Actually it's spelt しいな. In Narikiri Dungeon 3 they had all of the character's names in english and it was spelt "Shihna". Tales Namco said so. XD

I think I remember seeing animated Z-skit faces somewhere...but I don't remember and searching for them on this piece of junk wouldn't be fun. XD When I come back from China I could find them for you, though. You know what the eggs own? XD My Hello Kitty slippers. XD I can't find them so I'm assuming they took them. My friend made a comment about Kratos having heavier armor or something like that and saying that's what made him slow, but I don't really remember any more. I'm getting old. XD (I'm not that old!!) Oh, crap...forgot I have a time limit. XD

Gonkfish! Imma ditch! XD


	32. Needed

* * *

"Hey Zelos! We're going to go explore the city!" Lloyd exclaimed happily. "Yeah, yeah. Do what you want." The front door of his house opened and the sounds of many footsteps were heard. The door closed and the footsteps faded. "You aren't going with them?" Zelos asked, turning to Shihna who was sitting next to him on the couch. "I've seen enough of Meltokio," she replied. _So much that it makes me sick, _she thought. She hated this city, with so many millionaires and billionaires who had plenty of money to spare, yet they wouldn't give a cent to the people who had nothing. It disgusted her...and one of those rich bastards was sitting right next to her right now. "Oh, I see! You just wanted to spend time alone with me! Ah ha ha ha!"

"There's no way I'd want to spend time with you!" Shihna snapped. "I just don't want to go out. I hate it here." Zelos raised his eyebrows. "Oh? I thought you'd be happy to be here after being in a dump like Sylvarant." Shihna turned and glared at him. "I'd rather be in Sylvarant than being stuck here with an idiot like you!" Zelos' cool, blue eyes met her chocolate brown ones. "So you would rather run around with Lloyd, hmm?" He smirked. "So you _did _fall in love with some dorky bumpkin when you were over there." There was silence for a moment. "You think...that I fell in love with Lloyd?" she asked, trembling slightly. "Are you saying you didn't? I can see it, hunny. The way you look at him-" "At least I'm not like you! While I was gone you probably played around with millions of other girls! You probably toyed around with their feelings and broke their hearts one by one!" Zelos blinked. He didn't think that his teasing would make Shihna _explode_. She was going out of control. "You probably didn't worry about me at all when I was gone! I was always thinking about you...about what you were doing and if you were thinking about me! The entire time I was doing it for you! I'm happy that I didn't kill Collet! She deserves to live more than you, you stupid Chosen!" His eyes widened. Were those tears in her eyes? Shihna gasped for air. "I...I should've just saved the rest of them in Sybak and left you there." With that she turned and ran out of the house, leaving a stunned Zelos sitting on the couch.

"She...was thinking about me the whole time?" He couldn't believe it. _Shihna_ was thinking about him...and he had made her cry. How could he? He was such an idiot. Making a girl cry was bad enough, but making Shihna cry was unforgivable. He ran his fingers through his hair. What was he going to do? She probably never wanted to talk to him ever again. She was the type to do a thing like that. Exactly that kind of woman. Still...he couldn't leave her alone. He _had_ thought about her while she was gone. She was in the back of his mind every day and at night he couldn't stop worrying. Worrying if she had gotten killed...or if she wasn't going to come back. He wanted her...more than anything. He had to find her. Absolutely had to.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Shihna sat down on the edge of a fountain, tears streaking down her face. Saying such stupid things...and to think that she got hurt by them too. She stared bitterly into the fountain, watching her reflection in the rippling water and cursing her weakness. She had never thought that Zelos, of all people, would ever be able to say anything seriously hurtful to her. How could he even _suggest_ that she had fallen in love with Lloyd? Her hazel eyes grew hot and wet but Shihna brushed the tears away irritably. The sun was starting to set. Everybody else would be back soon. She couldn't go back looking like this. She was a ninja after all. She couldn't show her weakness...not in front of them. Especially not Zelos. She would never show her weakness in front of him. Never.

"Shihna..." She turned. Oh, great. She thought he wouldn't come after her. "What do you want?" she demanded, her voice shaking slightly. "I...I'm sorry I said those things to you, Shihna," Zelos said. She looked up into his face and saw an unaccustomed frown painted on the Chosen's face. Then she jerked away. She couldn't bear to face him now. Tears were beginning to burn in her eyes again but she willed herself not to break down, not to completely lose it in front of him again. She had sworn that. But...she felt her defences weakening. Why did she always end up forgiving him? "Is that all?"

"Uhh...I love you," Zelos mumbled. "Huh?" She stared at him blankly. "I...love you." Despite being angry at him she still found her face going red. "Wh-what are you talking about?! Don't think that saying something like that's going to change anything!" Zelos found himself smiling. This was exactly the reaction he knew she'd have. "I'm serious, you know."

_No way...there's no way he could be serious. This is all a joke, right? _She dared to look into his eyes again. What if he _was _serious? "You're the type of person to say a thing like that without meaning it at all!" Zelos took a few steps closer. "Really, I'm not joking." Shihna backed away. "Stay away from me, you idiot!" He didn't listen to her and continued stepping towards her. "Stay away..." she said again, turning her face away. She was scared to look at him. If she faced him any longer she feared that she would end up forgiving him. "Shihna..." he said softly, wrapping some strands of her silky hair around his finger. "Go away, idiot..." she mumbled. She could feel his breath on her cheek. "I wonder...what Shihna's kiss tastes like?" he murmured, slowly turning her face towards his. "There's no way I'm letting you find out!" she exclaimed suddenly, slapping his hand away. "Awww...you just had to ruin the romantic moment, didn't ya?" Zelos rubbed his gloved hand. "Having a romantic moment with a sick pervert like you? I wouldn't let that happen even if you paid me!" she said angrily. "Heh. I could've just forced a kiss on you instead of being all nice about it," he said with an evil smile on his face. "I wouldn't let a thing like that happen," she stated confidently. "Oh, really?" he challenged her. "Really," she said. Zelos grinned. "Whatever you say, gorgeous."

She glared at him and started walking away. "I'm going back to Mizuho. You guys don't need me anyways." Zelos jogged after her. "Wait, wait! Of course we need you!" He grabbed Shihna's wrist. "What are we going to do without our beautiful summoner?" Shihna faced him, annoyance showing in her features. "I'm still mad at you, so shut up and go away."

"Ooh, so cold," he said, his hand still keeping a firm hold on her wrist. "But I can see that you've forgiven me already even though you won't admit it." Shihna tried to pull away but failed. "What are you talking about?! I would never forgive y-" She was silenced by Zelos' lips suddenly meeting hers. "Mmmhhh..." She attempted to push him away, but she felt one of Zelos' arms wrap around her waist preventing her from moving away. Shihna started hitting him as hard as she could with her foot, kicking his shins as hard she dared. Despite all of her efforts to make him let go he still held on for what seemed like centuries. In vain, she stomped hard on his foot. Finally, he pulled away. "Ow. You're so violent, my voluptuous hunny." Shihna whacked him in the head with her free arm. "That's what you get for forcing a kiss on me," she said. "Oh, but I did, didn't I? I really did force a kiss on you," he said cheerfully. Shihna's face reddened and she turned away, covering her mouth with one of her hands. Zelos snickered evilly. "Did you _like _it?"

"No way!" she retorted quickly. "Oh? Then why is your face so red?" he asked, poking her in the cheek. "If you didn't like it you would be disgusted instead of blushing," he pointed out. "I-Idiot. I would rather die than be kissed by you," she said, trying hard to hide her embarassment, but failing horribly. "So you're going to commit suicide now that I've kissed you? Man, that's a waste," he said with a big smile plastered on his face. "You're not worth commiting suicide over," she replied. "That just contradicted what you said earlier." He poked her in the cheek again. "Stop that!"

"Heh heh. You're so cute," Zelos said, starting to stroke her hair gently. He had no idea why, but touching her hair just made him so...happy. What was this feeling? Why did he feel this way? When he said that he loved her he wasn't entirely serious. He admitted that he was attracted to her. Hell, he wouldn't mind if she wanted to get into bed with him, but she just...wasn't that kind of person. "Zelos, why are you looking at me like that?" Shihna's question brought him out of his trance. "Oh! Uh...nothing, nothing!" He pulled his hand away from her head. "You're really weird, you know that?" She started walking back towards Zelos' mansion. Zelos stood there for a while, staring at her back. "You coming?" she asked, without turning around. "Yep!" He ran to catch up with her. "I guess I'll stay for a little longer. Lloyd and the others need me after all," she said. "Heh. I knew you'd change your mind."

He knew...that he needed her too. More than anything. But did he love her? He had no idea.

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: You do love her, Master Zelos!! XD YOU DO! BELIEVE IT!

Anyways, I'm sorry. (Again?!) I've been gone so long...and I could've finished this when I just got back, but things happened and I got writer's block several times. I'm a bad person. Sorry. DX I promise I'll catch up on my writing and basically everything else.

Actually some of these lines...were written by my friend who happened to be over when I was writing most of this. XD She happened to add in lines that fit while I was away from the keyboard every once in a while and they happened to fit. I had to draw the line when she put in the line "remorse glistening in his crystalline eyes" which happened to make the chapter 10 times cheesier. XD It's so cheesy I start laughing when I say that line. (I'm laughing right now. XD) She also put in the magic three words when I couldn't think of what to say. My writer's block was that bad. DX It worked out somehow. Around 2 or 3 in the morning we started to twist the chapter for no apparent reason because we both had the block and everything was looking suggestive to us. XD If you were to look at it in the condition it was at that time you probably would've never believed I had wrote such a thing. XD It was that bad.


	33. Key

* * *

"Shihna? You in there?" Zelos asked, a hint of worry in his voice. Why was he here anyways? It wasn't like he had any business in Mizuho. Visiting Shihna for no reason didn't really make her happy either. He cautiously slid open the door. _It's unlocked?_ He stepped inside. "Shihna!" he called again. No answer came. He kept on walking, looking in all directions. Maybe she wasn't home. He had come without telling her after all...but leaving the door unlocked? Shihna wasn't _that_ forgetul. He walked into her living room and noticed that the door leading to the porch was slightly open. "Shihna?" As he opened the door he noticed Shihna sitting on the porch. She turned her head to look at him. "Hey," he said softly.

"Is it okay...if I sit down?" She nodded. He plopped down next to her. "You okay?" Why did he feel so sad looking at her when she was like this? Shihna had curled up in a ball and her eyes looked so...empty. "Yeah." He barely managed to hear her response. "You don't _look_ okay." Zelos reached over to feel her forehead to check for fever, but she moved away. "I'm fine." Zelos sighed. "Something's on your mind. What's wrong?"

"_Nothing_!" She raised her head and glared at him. "You're so stubborn," Zelos said with a smirk. He placed one of his hands on her head. "Keeping everything inside is just gonna make you feel worse, hunny."

"Nee, Zelos...have you ever felt that whatever you do, you can't make anything better?" Shihna asked. "All the time," he replied, stroking her hair gently. "But I'm sure...that if I keep on trying that I'll be able to make a difference. We managed to save the two worlds, didn't we?"

He felt a shock run through his entire body as Shihna moved forward and hugged him tightly. "Shihna?" _I shouldn't have said the cheesy lines._ "A-are you okay?" She nodded. "You sure?..." He was starting to wonder if leaving her alone would've been better. "I'm just gonna...go...now." He slowly pulled away. "...Sorry," she said quietly. "It's not your fault or anything...I just..." Zelos reached into his pocket. "If you ever need me you can come over whenever you want." He placed a key in her hand. "Eh?"

"It's the key to my house. Even if it's the middle of the night you can walk into my room and jump on me to wake me up," he said cheerfully. "I-idiot. I would never do a thing like that." Zelos ruffled Shihna's hair playfully. "Drop by anytime you want, okay?" He started to get up. "...Thanks," Shihna mumbled as he left. She looked down at the key in her hand. _Spending a few minutes with that philandering idiot made me feel better._ She found herself blushing. _"If you ever need me come over whenever you want."_

"...I will."

* * *

SakuMeiMei: I don't feel good. At all. DX It's like I'm overheating and I don't know why and I'm so tired. School starts tomorrow too. T.T Damn it. Didn't get much done this summer. I just got lazy. DX If I feel better I'll try to put up chapter 34, if not I'll do it on Sunday or something.

I kinda lost my train of thought after writing this for a while. Sorry. DX When I first thought of it things were looking so good.


	34. A Flower For Every Day

* * *

"Hey! Look! Look!" Shihna turned away from the idiot that was annoying her to look at something that was probably not worth her time. "Look!" he whined again. She continued ignoring him. "Please?" Zelos tugged on her sleeve. 

Shihna pulled away from him. "What's with you today? You're even more annoying than usual!" Zelos put on a small smile. "I just uh..." Was he actually embarassed? Shihna tilted her head to get a better look of his face. "Here." He held a red rose in front of her face. "I just thought...that you might want it."

"So even the great, philandering Chosen, Zelos Wilder gets bashful every once in a while," Shihna said, snickering. "Do you want it or not?" Zelos asked, trying his best to sound like his usual overconfident self.. Shihna took the rose in her hands. "Of course I do." She breathed in the scent of the flower. "Thanks." Zelos turned around to hide his red face. "You're welcome."

Shihna smiled softly. "It's been a long time since you've given me any flowers," she said, twirling the rose around. "I thought you wouldn't want them if it was me who gave them to you," Zelos replied. "But if you want me to...I'll give you one every day."

"I'd like that."

* * *

SakuMeiMei: That was short. XD But I kinda like it. It's just a sweet little moment between them. I didn't think I would finish it in time, but somehow I did. (Again.) XD Zelos was embarassed! Yay! 


	35. Not Yet

* * *

Shihna held back a sigh as she observed everything around her. The party had decided to take a break from walking and fighting monsters. Her eyes wandered around to every member of the party. Refill was reading a thick book and oblivious to everything around her. Regal was preparing lunch and Genius was trying his best to have a conversation with Presea. Lloyd and Collet were...talking and laughing with each other.

_Collet's so lucky, having a person that loves her so much. I should be happy for her...and for Lloyd too. _She twirled a strand of hair around her finger. She felt...jealous. _Eugh, I'm such an idiot. I shouldn't be having feelings like that. They're happy with each other. I shouldn't be like this. I-_ "Yo, Shihna!" Her thoughts were interrupted by Zelos Wilder's carefree voice. "Whatcha doin'?" he asked, sitting down next to her on the grass. "Nothing..." she replied blankly. For some reason Zelos always seemed to show up when she really wanted him to be as far away from her as possible. "Hmmm..." Zelos looked over at Collet and Lloyd. "They look good together, don't they?" Shihna nodded. "Are you jealous?" Shihna froze. "You are...aren't you?"

"O-of course not! Me? Jealous? No way!" she protested, but Zelos knew better. "You wanted to be with Lloyd, didn't you?" He continued prodding her with questions. "No..." she said. "Liar." Shihna's cheeks coloured slightly. "I..."

"You don't want to hurt Collet so you won't interfere with their relationship," Zelos continued. "You don't want either of them to be unhappy so you go on as if there's nothing wrong. You pretend you don't have any feelings for Lloyd too so you keep everything insi-" "Shut up!" Shihna clenched her fists angrily. "How would you know what I feel?! You're not me!" She glared at him intensely.

"Of course I know," he said softly. "I was worrying the whole time...what I would do if you ended up with Lloyd." Shihna's eyes widened. "Zelos..."

"Of course, there's no way you would have feelings for me anyways, so I guess it doesn't really matter." He looked down at the ground. "I'm not worth it anyways. I don't deserve you." She looked around to see if any of the others were watching. Either they hadn't noticed, or they pretended they didn't. "What are you saying?!" she demanded. "You told me to try my hardest, but now you're saying that you don't deserve me! You stupid hypocrite! I can't believe I ever liked you!" Zelos stared at her, his eyes wide. "Sh-Shihna?"

"Idiot!" she yelled. "I-I-" "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" she continued ranting while Zelos blinked several thousand times, surprise written all over his face. "Hmm?" His face lit up. "Oh, I get it!" Shihna stopped. "Huh?"

"Shihna doesn't want me to stop chasing after her! So she loves me after all! Ha ha ha!" Shihna's face burned as he laughed. "Y-you! Twisting things like that!" She whacked him on the arm. "Ah, you don't have to deny it! I already know that you-" He was interrupted by Shihna's hand hitting the side of his head. "I would never love someone like you!" she growled. Zelos rubbed his head. "Now that's the Shihna I'm used to seeing."

"Eh?" Her eyes seemed to get two sizes bigger as she focused them on him. "I've made up my mind now. I'm not gonna give up on you. You're going to be mine, Shihna," he said, poking her in the forehead. "I'll make sure of it." He stood up and started heading back towards the rest of the group. "...There's no way I'll ever be yours," she mumbled, clutching the edge of her purple top. "...Never." But she knew...that she was fooling herself. Of course, Zelos didn't need to know that. Not yet...

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Sorry, yet again! DX I didn't update for a few weeks! I had a big project and then I got grounded! And I still have so much to do. DX I'll try to get back on schedule in November. I need to make costumes for Halloween. Me and my hunnies are going to go as Zelos, Shihna and Collet. XD

Anyways, about this chapter. It's kinda...out of control. The characters kind of went off and did their own thing. XD Ah well...I wanted to write something where Shihna feels sad about Lloyd and Collet being together. I wanted her to be a bit sad and a bit jealous at the same time. XD I also wanted Zelos to show some of his feelings. Not sure if I managed to pull all of that off though. O.o;; Atleast...not in the way I wanted.


	36. Unhappy Forever?

* * *

"Come on, Shihna! She really wants you to come!" Zelos whined. "Why should I? It's not like we're best friends. We don't even like each other!" Shihna argued. "You can ask her that when we get there," he said, tugging on her arm. "I don't even have a present for her," she said, trying to pull her arm away. Why did the Wilder siblings have to be so irritating? Didn't they realize that other people actually had things to do other than going to parties? "Please? Seles said that she _really_ wanted you to come." Shihna glared at Zelos' pleading face. "I think I got that after the fifth time you told me. The answer is still no!"

"Shihna, she's a sickly, little kid. Could you at least drop by for a few minutes?" Zelos tugged on her arm some more. "I'll do anything." Shihna raised an eyebrow. "Anything?" Zelos nodded. "Anything." Shihna smirked. "Then after this, don't ever bother me again. I don't even want to _see_ you." Zelos' eyes widened. "_Anything_ but that!" he whimpered. "If I didn't get to see you, I'd die!" He got down on his knees, trying to look as innocent as possible. "That's even better," Shihna said heartlessly. "_Shihna_!" Zelos cried. He suddenly hugged her, still on his knees. "H-hey! What are you doing?!" she demanded. "I don't want you to leave me!" he whined, rubbing his head against her. "Fine, fine! I won't, you idiot! Now let go!" Zelos pulled away. "Really?" he asked. "Yes! Now let's go!" Zelos got back on his feet. "I knew you would say yes eventually," he said cheerfully.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Seles! I brought Shihna with me!" Zelos dragged Shihna into Seles' room in the Southeast Abbey. Seles turned her attention away from the window. "Big bro-Chosen..." Her face reddened. "Hey squirt, you don't need to call me the Chosen any more." He walked over and ruffled her hair. "What took you so long?" she demanded, pushing his hand away. "It took a while to convince the banshee to come along," he explained. Seles' eyes landed on Shihna. "H-happy birthday," she said awkwardly. "Zelos never told me so I couldn't bring you a present," she said apologetically, glaring at Zelos. "That's fine," Seles said stiffly. She got up and started pushing Zelos out the door. "Hmm?" He turned his head to look back at her. "I need you to stay outside for a bit," Seles said. "Whatever you say, little princess." He walked out the door, closing it behind him.

Shihna shifted her feet nervously. What did Seles want? "Do you...like my brother?" Seles asked. Shihna stared at her blankly. "Eh?...I like him, I guess." She found it strange how Seles managed to make her feel so uncomfortable even though she was so much younger than she was. "I think that was the wrong question to ask. Do you _love_ my brother?" Shihna blushed. "Why are you asking me such a weird question?!" she demanded. "Because I know that big brother loves you," Seles answered bluntly. "Don't let his facade fool you," Shihna said. "There's no way he could seriously-" "But he does," Seles interrupted. "I can tell. He's serious about you."

Shihna felt anger welling up inside of her for some reason. "I don't need you telling me if he's serious or not. That worthless idiot's always playing around. He can fool anybody," she said. "Big brother...may be joking all the time, but he's lonely." Seles lowered her eyes. "He doesn't say anything, but I can tell that he's sad and I know that I can't do anything."

"So what do you want me to do? Be with him just to make you guys happy?" This kid was really starting to piss her off. "Would you really feel that way?" Seles asked. "Would you really be unhappy if you were with Zelos for the rest of your life?" Shihna couldn't say anything. She just stared. Would she be unhappy? "I...I don't know how long I'm going to be able to watch over him." Tears started to run down her face. "If I just leave him like this..."

"I'll take care of him, okay? That's the least I can do," Shihna said, compassion taking advantage of her. "Thank you," Seles whispered. "Now go get my brother," she said, regaining her usual composure. "Can't you go get him yourself?" Seles stuck her tongue out. "It's my birthday today so you have to do what I say." Shihna smiled. "Whatever you say, little princess," she said, imitating Zelos. She headed outside.

"Zelos?" She looked around. "Right here," he said, suddenly appearing beside her. "You can come back inside now," she said. "What were you talking about?" he asked cheerfully. Shihna hesitated. "That's a secret," she said putting a finger to her lips. "Oh, is that so?" Zelos asked, his eyebrows raised. "Come on. Seles is waiting." Zelos followed her back inside.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Thanks for coming today," Zelos said as he walked Shihna to her house. "It's nothing," she replied, looking at the ground as she was walking. The things that Seles had said kept on going through her head. "Hey, Zelos...if you need anything, you can always talk to me about it," she said as they reached the door of her house. "Hmm?" Zelos tilted his head. "Is Shihna actually worried about me?" Shihna whacked him in the head. "You're my friend, aren't you? Of course I worry!" Zelos rubbed the back of his head. "But you're always saying that you hate me!" he whined. "I'm not serious when I say that!" she retorted. "Now go home! You wasted enough of my time already!" She slid open the door and stepped inside. "I'll come tomorrow and bother you some more, then," Zelos said cheerfully, turning away. "You won't be welcome," Shihna warned him. He laughed as he walked away.

Shihna shut the door behind her and sighed. How was she going to deal with Zelos from now on? After Seles had said all that...She shook her head. She was only going to be his friend. Only. Just so Seles could feel reassured. That was it. Yet...that one question kept on running through her head. _"Would you really be unhappy if you were with Zelos for the rest of your life?" _Would she?

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: You're all glaring at me with pitchforks in your hands, right? DX I'm sorry! Really. I've been so busy. Busy to the point of blowing up. I really want sleep! I finished this chapter in a rush! I. Need. A. Break!

But before I sleep for hundreds of years...are you curious about what I've been doing? XD I was kinda...making costumes (not finished...dammit) and working on all kinds of projects. I'm gonna blow up! Ah, well. I'll be okay. I'll be answering the reviews soon. DX Really. I promise.

And on to talking about the actual chapter. It turned out weird, as usual. I like Seles though. She's awesome in her own way. XD I'm glad that I got to put her in this chapter. This made me a little sad though. I don't want Seles to die!! Not saying that she will in the near future, but in the end she isn't a normal, healthy kid. XD


	37. Precious

* * *

"Ugh, where is it?" Shihna walked around her hotel room in Flanoir, searching for Corrine's bell. She growled in frustration. How could she drop such an important thing? She considered going to one of the others and asking them if they could help her find it, but they all went outside to play outside except for the proffesor and Regal, who were already really tired from earlier activies that day. Oh, wait. She was missing one. _Zelos_ also happened to be inside. There was no way she was going to ask him for help. He'd only make her feel pathetic.

She sighed. Where could it be? Hopefully she didn't drop it outside, on the way to Flanoir. It'd be impossible to find, then. Shihna sat down on the bed and thought about where she could have dropped the bell. "Hmmm..." Her eyes widened as she remembered. "That _stupid _Chosen." He had come to her room earlier, to ask her if she would like coffee or something. At the moment...he could've stolen it. Anger filled her as she ran out of her room and headed down the hallway.

Shihna barged into Zelos' room without warning. "Shihna? Is something wrong?" he asked, staring innocently at her angry face. "Where'd you put it?!" Shihna demanded. "Put what?" Was he playing dumb?! "Corrine's bell, you idiot!" She rushed forward and pinned Zelos to the ground. "Where'd you put it, you thief?!" she yelled in his face. "Hunny, I didn-" "Tell me!" Zelos studied Shihna's face. "Hunny, you don't have to make up an excuse if you wanna spend some time with me," he said cheerfully, wrapping his arms around Shihna's waist. "Wha-you! I'm serious! Where'd you put it?!" Shihna's face turned the colour of Zelos' hair. "I don't have it," he said, a smile still pasted on his face. "I'll help you find it, okay?" He gently placed his hand on Shihna's cheek. She nodded, tears forming in her eyes. "But you'll have to get off of me first," Zelos said with a smirk. "S-sorry." Shihna got up and brushed herself off. "C'mon, hunny. Smile a little. The great Zelos will find it for you." Shihna forced a small smile on her face. "That's better. Now let's go!"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Hmm...where could that thing be?" Zelos studied the floor of Shihna's room. "Could it be in the closet?" he asked. "I already checked there," Shihna replied. "Maybe _we_ could check if it's there later," he said seductively. "I'm not going to play your stupid games, stupid Chosen." Zelos sighed. "You should have a little more fun, Shihna. You're always acting like a bad-tempered, old woman." He crouched down to look under the bed. "I don't care," Shihna muttered. "Hey! I found it!" Zelos reached under the bed and pulled out a shiny, gold object. It jingled as he shook it. "Told ya the great Zelos would find it."

Shihna stared at the bell in his hand. "Could you at least act a little happy?" Zelos asked, walking up to her and dropping the bell in her hands. "Ne?" He gently poked her in the forehead. Shihna sniffled. The tears that she was trying to hold back, started to overflow. "Shihna?"

"Zelos!" Shihna sobbed as she rushed forward and hugged him tightly. "Huh?" He stood there, too surprised to do anything. What was Shihna doing? Hugging him and sobbing? Was he dreaming? He awkwardly patted her on the head. "Everything's okay now, Shihna. Don't cry," he murmured nervously. "I'm such an idiot!" Shihna sobbed. "I lost Corrine's bell and then I blamed you for it!"

"It's okay," Zelos said. "You were scared, weren't you? You almost lost something precious to you..." He fixed the tangles in Shihna's hair. Shihna nodded, burying her head in his chest. "I hate how you always say the right things," she mumbled into his shirt. Zelos chuckled. "How else would I be able to charm the girls?" He leaned down slightly so he could whisper in Shihna's ear. "It never seems to work on you, though." Shihna's face reddened. "That's because I know you use those lines on everybody else," she said, trying her best not to look into Zelos' eyes. "Well, there's a line that I can only use on you," Zelos answered cheerfully. "You probably don't want to hear it though."

_Great...now he made me want to listen to what he says_, Shihna thought. "I'll tell you another time," Zelos said, pulling away from her. "If you need anything, you can just call me. I'll help you as much as I can." He started walking towards the door. "Zelos..." Shihna called after him. "Hmm?" Shihna looked down at the floor. "Thank you," she mumbled. "No problem," he said cheerfully, walking out the door and shutting it quietly behind him. Shihna looked down at the bell in her hands. "Something...precious..."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: My brain...has totally shut down. And I'm sick. DX This was supposed to be up last week, but I ran out of time. I'm very sorry. DX Getting really sick on Friday didn't help either. I'm so behind on everything. Ack.

This one was weird. XD I wanted the party to be in Altamira at first, but I decided to put them in Flanoir instead. Big difference. XD Oh well. Basically Shihna thinks Zelos stole Corrine's bell and tries to blow up the wor-Wait. Wrong story. XD I would really love to hug Zelos. Gotta find a cosplayer. XD Even though I'm going to be cosplaying as him too. XD I'll hug myself?

By the way, I've started working on my Christmas special. (Already? XD) It'll be in manga form. Yay! I'll also have Christmas chapters for the fanfiction too. :D Look forward to it!


	38. Miss You

* * *

The first thought Shihna had when she woke up was..._Corrine._ She blinked. "Shihna? Are you awake?" She looked around. "Zelos?" Zelos gently stroked her hair. "You passed out," he said, sitting down on the bed. "Corrine..." she mumbled. Zelos held back a sigh. "He's gone, remember?" he said gently. Tears filled her eyes. "I know..."

He brushed away the tears running down her cheeks. "I want him to come back..." she sobbed. "I know," he said. He looked down. Shihna had fainted because she was so depressed. If only Corrine hadn't died. If that hadn't happened Shihna would still be happy. She was making everybody worried with the way she was acting, even though it wasn't her fault. Collet had told him that Shihna had been crying every night since Corrine had died.

Zelos lay down next to her. "I want to see you smile again," he murmured in her ear. Shihna's face reddened slightly. "We all do," he added. "It's so hard...Corrine was always here to cheer me up, but now that he's gone..." She pulled the blanket up to cover her face. Zelos wriggled under the covers and hugged her tightly. "You're not alone, you know that?" She nodded. "If you ever need anything, you can ask me. I'll do what I can," he said. She nodded again.

"Zelos is...warm," she mumbled, resting her head on his shoulder. "Really?" he mumbled. "Could you stay for a little while?" Shihna asked. "Sure," he said sleepily. "Thanks..."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

A few minutes later Lloyd and Collet came to check on them and found them both fast asleep.

_Be happy...Shihna._

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Somehow I ended up writing about Corrine again. DX Dammit. I wasn't planning to, but it just ended up this way. And the one telling Shihna to be happy at the very end is Corrine's scary undead voice! XD Or something. I'm so tired. DX The next one will be better. 


	39. Do You Love Me?

* * *

Shihna felt a smile on her face as she looked down at the diamond ring on her finger. She was just so...happy. There was no other way she could describe it. She sighed happily. "Shiiihhhnnnaaa!" Zelos burst into the room and tackled Shihna onto the bed. "Idiot, what are you doing?!" Shihna demanded, whacking him on the head. "Oow! You're still like that even though we're married?" Zelos whined. "I-I'm not used to it yet. It's only been a month, you know," Shihna answered, failing to hide her embarassment. "Nnn..." Zelos rested his head on Shihna's lap. "Have my hunnies been causing any trouble?" he asked. "It's been pretty good so far. None of them have pulled out any weapons or attempted to kill me," Shihna replied. "Hmmm..."

"Do you love me?" Shihna looked down at Zelos. "Well? Do you?" He stared up at her hopefully. "No," Shihna said. "I married you for your status and your money." She looked down at him, wondering what kind of a reaction he would have. "...Oh well. I don't love you either." _What?!_ Zelos smiled. "I've always wanted to be married to a beautiful woman," he said cheerfully. "Y-you _idiot_!" Shihna's face reddened in anger. "Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!" She started to whack Zelos with all her might. "Whoa! Whoa! I was kidding! Kidding!"

Shihna glared at Zelos, venom in her eyes. "But I did figure out something good from this..." Zelos groaned, "You did marry me for love." Shihna blushed and turned away. "O-of course I did. Do I look like one of your disposable whores?!" she demanded. "Aww, Shihna. You don't have to talk about my hunnies like that," Zelos whined. "Hmph." Zelos put on a puppy dog face. "Shihna..."

Shihna pouted. "In the end you still care about them." Zelos shook his head. "The one I care about is you." He pulled on Shihna's sleeve. "Really." He pushed her down on the bed so she could lay right next to him. "I love, love, _love _you." A hint of a smile appeared on Shihna's face. "I'll believe you for now," she mumbled, resting her head against his chest. "Mmm..." Zelos wrapped his arms around her. "That's good enough."

"By the way, Zelos..." Shihna lowered her eyes. "I'm pregnant."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Finished! XD Yay. This was interesting to write. 'Cuz Zel Zel and Shihna are married. XD It was fun, though. Anyways, I shall answer reviews...because I should. XD 

This...is really confusing, but I'll try my best to answer everything. DX Sorry for not replying in such a long time. I'm just so busy now.

**I lOvE kRaToS- **You loved chapter 30? I did too. XD Kind of. And I had lots of fun in Hong Kong...not China, for various reasons. XD

**Maxmagnus20019- **Thanks for taking the time to read and review my fanfiction all the time! I'm very touched!! XD

**tethe'alla- **I love you too!! XD -rabid glowstick wave- And yes, I will keep on going!

**Fires Requiem- **Fluffy. Yay. XD I'm glad that you're taking the time to read my fanfiction even though you don't like the couple. The link is right here if you didn't manage to find it. I'm so sorry. DX http://sakumeimei. Skater- Go for it, if you haven't already. XD I'd like to see it. 

**MoonlitInuko- **I want to see the whole Corrine as Shihna's present thing when you're done. XD Give me the linky when you're done, okay? XD I was actually pretty surprised at Shihna's reaction too. (The writer doesn't know what she's doing. XD) But it ended up that way. XD

When you were reviewing Chapter 37, I was really scared that you were going to say something bad. XD (Not like criticism is bad, but you really scared me there. XD) You thought it was adorable? Yay! XD

You're welcome...? I'm keeping you sane? That's a surprise. XD I make people go nuts...it's like I steal their sanity or something. Oh well. I'm happy to know that I'm keeping you alive and happy. :D

**Silverstar's Shadow- **OMG! I turned you into a fan?! I'm so happy! XD I didn't think I'd be able to turn anyone into a ZelosxShihna fan. Happy happy happy!

**Dawnstarshine- **If I remember correctly, he will be. And I'll check out your fanart as soon as I can. XD

**TermsofFanService- **Yes, it is tiresome, but I really like it so I'll keep on going. Heh heh.

Wow...you reviewed three times in a row at one point. XD Not a bad thing though. The blue ribbon goes in her hair, not around her waist. XD And yay for my cheesy lines!

**Seleneikuza- **I love Zelos too. XD Thanks for reviewing!!

**-Magical Mahou- -**It's okay if you don't have time to review. XD I don't mind. I'm happy knowing that people read it. And I'll try to speed up the updates during Christmas Holidays.

Yay! I'm not dead! XD Chapter 36 was weird. I felt kinda bad kicking Zelos out, actually. But I had to. DX But I'll have more Zelos. MOAR ZEWOS! BUAHAHAHA! XD

As for my cosplaying...I'm not done my costume yet, but I'll be happy to show you when I'm done even though it's probably gonna be really bad. DX

I'll try to write something that focuses on Zelos soon. I've been planning on doing it for a long time, but it's hard thinking of something. I'll do my best though.

**33sheenaxzelos33- **Another Zelos lover! BANZAI! Thanks for reviewing!! XD

**spinx- **I'll have a serious conversation eventually. XD There will be 1000 oneshots after all.

**whiterose2406- **Thanks for all the praise. XD I really don't deserve it. I'm happy to know that I keep Zelos and Shihna in character. Yet again, thank you. I'm so haaappppy!

DONE! XD Thank you everyone (again)!!


	40. Forgiveness

* * *

Shihna looked up at the ceiling, wondering when she would fall asleep. _Probably never_, she thought. All she could think about was Zelos. She could remember everything as if it was happening to her all over again. He had betrayed them as if it was no big deal. He had thrown away their trust, yet he came back to them as if nothing happened. She felt so mad at him and at herself. She had let herself trust that idiot. She had been so careless. If only she had more attention to him...she would've been able to tell. If only she could turn back time and start everything over again. She sighed. That would never happen. She had to face the facts. Zelos was a traitor that didn't deserve her forgiveness, even if the others did. He had all of the qualities of the things she hated most. There was no reason for her to like him any more. None. She would _never _forgive him.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"...I'm such an idiot," Zelos muttered to himself. He leaned on the railing of the porch, feeling irritated with himself. Had he really done the right thing? That was the only way he could've gotten the Aionis, but thinking about the look that Shihna had given him made him wonder if it was really worth it. He shook his head. "What am I thinking? Without the Aionis, we can't reunite the worlds." He banged his fist on the railing. If only Shihna would forgive him. He knew that the thing she hated the most was a traitor, but he had his reasons. He needed to talk to her, but she kept on avoiding him. _I wish I could explain everything to her._

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Shihna slipped into her shoes silently. _Maybe a walk will make me feel better._ She tiptoed towards the door. She opened the door slightly, catching a glimpse of Zelos' long, red hair. She stopped. "Shihna?" Zelos turned around. Shihna sighed and stepped outside. "What do you want?" she asked. "To talk to you. You've been avoiding me," Zelos answered. "I just don't want to hear your annoying voice," Shihna muttered. "Oh, really?" He started to walk towards her. "You have a reason for avoiding me, don't you? You wouldn't just ignore me for no reason."

"D-don't be stupid! I just don't feel like talking to you, alright?" She started to go back inside. "Shihna!" He grabbed her arm. "It's because I betrayed you to get the Aionis, right?" Shihna shook her head. "The thing you hate most is a traitor so you're avoiding me," Zelos continued. "So now you're-" "It's still the truth! We trusted you! How could you do such a thing and come back as if nothing happened?!" Shihna yelled as loud as she dared to. "You stupid bastard! I'm never going to forgive you!" Zelos stared at her in shock. He must've been the worst person in the world to have _Shihna _curse at him like that. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" she shouted. "I hate you!"

"You...hate me?" Zelos asked, his voice barely a whisper. "Of course I do! You have every quality that I despise!" Shihna fought the tears forming in her eyes. "You're a traitor, a philanderer and a liar! I can't believe Tethe'alla has a Chosen like this!" she ranted. "I'm sorry," Zelos mumbled. "I really didn't want to hurt you. I had no choice." A tear slid down his cheek. "If I was given the chance to do things differently, I would have. I...hate myself right now. I hate myself for everything I've done to you." He checked to see what Shihna's reaction was. She was studying his face. "Shihna?" A sob escaped from her mouth. "Are you okay?" Shihna shook her head. "...I forgive you!" she sobbed, hugging him tightly.

Zelos patted her head awkwardly. "It's nice to know that you don't hate me any more," he said, running his fingers through her hair. Shihna buried her face in his shirt. "I was so scared when you left," she murmured. "I thought you hated us."

"There's no way I could hate you," Zelos said. "Actually, I..." He hesitated. "You?" Shihna asked, looking up at him. His face leaned toward hers. "I..."

"Zelos?" Zelos and Shihna immediately pulled away from each other. "Oh, Shihna's with you?" Lloyd asked. "Were we interrupting anything?" Collet asked. "N-no!" they both exclaimed at the same time. "We were just talking," Zelos said. "Oh. It's nice to know that you're not avoiding each other any more," Collet said cheerfully. "Y-yeah," Shihna mumbled. "Don't stay up too late, okay? It's a big day tomorrow," Lloyd said, heading towards the door with Collet following him. "Yeah..." Zelos said. They waited for the door to shut behind them. "What were you going to say?" Shihna asked. "I'll tell you another time."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: I...feel...really...crappy...right now. And I have writer's block which doesn't make things any better. I just want to cry all night. Really. Which is kinda sad since it's Christmas Eve. DX Which is really pathetic in a way. I don't know what the hell I'm saying.

Anyways, about this chapter. Shihna's all depressed and Zelos is all depressed and...SO AM I! XD Yay! The things I wanted to say have just dissapeared...Damn.

The next few chapters will be Christmas ones and hopefully I'll be feeling more cheerful then. Look forward to it! DX


	41. Scarf

* * *

Shihna sighed as she stared at the half-made scarf in her hands. "Am I really going to finish this in time?" she asked herself. "Finish what?" a voice answered. "G-gah!" She turned around to see Zelos standing in the doorway of her room. "What are you doing here?!" she demanded. "I just wanted to see you," he said cheerfully. "D-don't think that saying corny lines like that are going to do anything!" Shihna exclaimed, her face burning. Zelos snickered. He loved embarassing Shihna. He looked at the object in her hands. "Eh?!" He stared at it in disbelief. "Shihna's becoming a girl?!"

"I've always been a girl!" Shihna protested. "Now get out and leave me alone!" She started to push him out the door. "Hmm...it looks pretty bad, doesn't it?" Zelos asked, ignoring her. Shihna stopped moving. "It's my first time making a scarf, so it's not that good, okay?"

Zelos smiled. "If it's made by Shihna, I'm sure the person you're giving it to will like it," he said. Shihna blushed. "I'm sure Lloyd will be happy." _It's not for Lloyd!_ Shihna protested mentally. "The colour matches him too! White!" he continued. "It's not-" "You don't have to be embarassed! I won't tell him!" _But it's not for Lloyd!_ Shihna wanted to shout.

"Well then, I'll be going now," Zelos said happily. "So soon?" Shihna asked. "Are you sad that I'm leaving?" Zelos asked, a smile still plastered on his face. "O-of course not!" Shihna said, feeling irritated. "Heh heh! See ya!" Zelos waved and ran out of her house, his red hair streaming behind him. Shihna looked down at the scarf. "It's not for Lloyd...idiot."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Shihna clutched the bag in her arms tightly. It was finally that day- Christmas. _I'm so nervous! I can't give it to him with everybody here!_ She was so nervous that she didn't notice Collet walking towards her, with a piece of cake. "Shihna, do you want some cake?" she asked. "Eh?" She looked up, waking up from her trance. "Sure," she said, taking the plate and a fork. "That bag...is it a present for Zelos?" Collet asked, tilting her head. "I-I..." Shihna stammered. "Keep it a secret, okay?" Collet smiled. "Okay!" _Collet's so nice, _Shihna thought. "Good luck!" Collet said as she skipped off to talk to someone else.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Hmm...you're not going home yet, Shihna?" Zelos asked, looking over his shoulder. The party had ended and he was watching the snow fall on the balcony. Shihna shook her head. Zelos noticed the bag in her hands. "You didn't give the scarf to Lloyd? Did you chicken out at the last second?" Zelos asked jokingly. "N-no...I just..." Shihna mumbled. "Hmm?" Shihna thrust the bag into Zelos' arms. "It's for you," she said with a red face. Zelos stood in silence, looking at the bag. "...It's for me?" he asked in disbelief. "I never said it wasn't. You just supposed that it was for Lloyd by yourself."

"Eh? I can't believe I was wrong," Zelos stated. "If you don't want it, I'll give to Lloyd," Shihna said in a threatening voice. "No way!" He held the bag to his chest. "I want it!"

"Good," Shihna said in a monotone voice. "...I didn't think it would be for me..." Zelos said softly. "Just think of yourself as lucky," Shihna grumbled. She started to walk away. "Waaaiiit!" Zelos whined. "What?" she demanded, raising an eyebrow. "Thanks!" Zelos said cheerfully. Shihna blushed. "I-it's nothing," she stammered. "Make a better one next time, okay?"

"What makes you think I'll make another one?" Shihna muttered. "I know you will," Zelos said, wrapping the scarf around her neck. "I won't," Shihna protested. "I'll look forward to it," he continued. "I told you, I'm not-" Zelos wrapped his arms around her. "I haven't given you _your _present yet." Shihna lowered her eyes. "I don't need one," she said softly. "I'm sure you'll like it," he said. "If it's from you, I probably won't," Shihna muttered. "Meanie!" Zelos whined. "It's the truth."

"That's still mean!" he whined as he reached into his pocket. "Got it." He pulled out a box. "Here." Shihna stared at the box he put in her hands. "Open it," he said cheerfully. Shihna obeyed. She gasped. "...This..."

"I thought it would suit you," Zelos said. "I can't have this!" Shihna protested. "It's-" "It's fine," he interrupted. "But it must have been expensive! I'll feel bad if I take it!" she protested. "I want you to. There's no one else I could give it to." Shihna shook her head. "But..."

"No more complaining!" Zelos exclaimed. He untied the scarf around Shihna's neck. "Hold this." He placed the scarf in her hands. Shihna attempted to say something, but no sound would come out of her mouth. Zelos tied the necklace around her neck. "It really does suit you," he said, pulling away. "Th-thanks," Shihna mumbled. "You're welcome," Zelos replied with a one thousand gald smile. "Y-you must be cold!" Shihna exclaimed suddenly, wrapping the scarf around his neck. "Your presence keeps me warm," Zelos said softly. "Idiot!" Shihna exclaimed, her face red.

_It's not made very well..._

"'m going home now!" Shihna said, turning away. "Eh? So soon?" Zelos asked. "I've already stayed for an extra half hour," Shihna stated.

_But I tried my hardest..._

"Wait!" Zelos cried. "What?" Shihna asked, hiding her irritation. Zelos smiled.

_And I put all of my love into it._

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: That last line was super cheesy. XD Really. I kinda liked it though. Zelos and Shihna kissed in the end, by the way. I just couldn't think of a way to include it in the actual fanfiction, that's all. DX It seems so much better in my script. I'll make it better in my doujinshi (if I manage to finish it).

There will be a few more Christmas chapters. Look forward to them!


	42. Secret Santa

* * *

Shihna shuffled her feet nervously. _Whose idea was it to have a Secret Santa anyways? _She watched as the others picked names out of a box. Her heart was beating faster and faster as her turn was coming up. Collet handed her the box with a smile on her face. "Here you go." Shihna's face flushed. "Th-thanks..." She hesitantly placed her hand in the box. _Please let it be Lloyd_, she secretly hoped. She pulled a piece of paper out of the box.

Shihna placed the box on the table and unfolded the paper. _"Zelos" _the paper said. Shihna cringed. _This is the worst possible result I could get! _She folded the paper back up and put it in her pocket. _Zelos, of all people! _She scanned the room. There he was. He was teasing Lloyd about something. _I can't believe I have to give that idiot a present! _She picked up her coat, which she had carelessly thrown onto the couch. "I have things to do so I'll be leaving first. You guys have fun without me," she said. "Do you need me to take you home?" Zelos asked. "I'll be fine. I'm not a kid," Shihna replied, heading towards the door. "But you do happen to be a girl," Zelos said. "Some evil rapist migh-" "The only evil rapist I see is you," Shihna interrupted. "Ouch," he said, pretending to be offended. Shihna reached for the doorknob. "I was serious about that," she muttered. "Hmmm..." Zelos smirked. He moved forward and pushed her against the door. "Well then, hunny. If you were serious about that, it means I can do what I want to you, right?"

Shihna glared at him. "Orochi and grandpa would kill you if you did anything," she said. "They don't need to know," Zelos whispered in her ear. "Hey Zelos," Genius called out. "Leave Shihna alone. She has things to do, unlike you." Zelos pulled away. "My bad," he said. "Be careful, 'kay?" Shihna turned around and left without responding. Zelos sighed. "Will she really be okay?" Genius shrugged. "She's better off going alone than with you," he said. "You're saying that too?"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Shihna dumped her stuff on the floor of her room. "...That idiot." She started to set up her futon. "And I can't believe I have to give him a present..." She sighed. "I don't know what to give that pervert..." She started to take off her shoes. _"I'd be happy to see you every day." _Shihna paused. Zelos had said that, hadn't he? She blushed. "He probably only like seeing me for perverted reasons..."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Had a week really passed by that fast? Shihna found herself at Zelos' house again. This time she was holding a small box covered in Christmas wrapping. She had considered giving the present to Zelos several times, but had decided not to every single time. "Hey," Zelos said, walking up to her. "You've avoided me for a whole week." Shihna didn't reply. "Who's getting the present?" he asked cheerfully. Shihna shoved it into his arms silently. "Me?" She nodded. Zelos opened it slowly.

He stared at the item in his hands without uttering a word. "If you don't like it, you can just tell me. You don't have to hold anything back," Shihna said without looking at him. "...I like it," Zelos said quietly. "How did you know I wanted this?" he asked. "Because you indirectly told me," Shihna replied. Zelos thought about the things he had said in the past few weeks. "I'd be happy to see you every day," they said at the same time. "I'm glad I said that," Zelos murmured. "Now I can really see you every day." He smiled at the picture frame in his hands. "You look so nervous in this picture."

"Sorry about that," Shihna said grudgingly. "I'm not comfortable around cameras." Zelos tilted his head thoughtfully. "I like it. You look cuter when you're nervous." Shihna's face burned. "Th-thanks..." Zelos handed her a box. "Strangely enough I got you in the Secret Santa." She looked at the box suspiciously. "It's perfectly safe," he said reassuringly. "For some reason, I don't believe you." Shihna opened the box cautiously. "...What's this?" she asked. "You can't tell? I got someone to make my outfit in your size," Zelos answered. "...How'd you manage to do that?" Shihna asked, her voice totally emotionless. "Well, I had to ask your grandpa for your measurements-" "He let you have them?!" Shihna demanded. "I had to pay a price for it, you know," Zelos answered. "And you expect me to wear this..." Zelos grinned. "Yep."

"You're the biggest idiot I've ever seen!" Zelos continued grinning. "I thought it would look good on you," he said. "I don't care if you think it looks good! I'm not wearing it!" Zelos laughed nervously. "Come on, hunny. Lloyd and Collet have matching clothes too!"

"That's them, not us!" Shihna protested. "And I went through all the trouble too..." Zelos said, sighing. "I just thought that we could look like a couple for once." Shihna twitched. "Alright already! I'll keep it! But don't expect me to wear it all the time!" Zelos' smile returned. "Yay." He leaned forward. "Thanks for the present," he murmured softly, kissing her on the cheek. "Y-you're welcome," Shihna said, trying to hide her embarassment. "Merry Christmas," Zelos said, starting to walk away. "You too..." Shihna said softly.

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: A New Year's present for everybody that happens to be about Christmas. Yay.

...I'm not happy. DX I have writer's block and the last two hours really sucked, making my New Year's not so great. But Happy New Year to everybody anyways. I hope you're not as unhappy as me. DX There's going to be one more Christmas oneshot and a New Year's one. Look forward to them.

Oh, wait. I forgot to talk about the chapter. DX The whole Zelos, the evil rapist thing wasn't originally going to be in the chapter but I was also having a bad day when I started on this. I love how unsure Shihna can be about her feelings. XD


	43. Mistletoe

* * *

_Christmas, huh? _Shihna thought, looking out a large window. Her breath created a cloud of fog on it. She would've spent it at home if Zelos hadn't barged into her house and said that he was having a party. She had argued and said that he had already had a party the day before, but he ignored her and dragged her to his house anyway. _I wish Corrine was here_, she thought. She felt so lonely without him. _It was all my fault..._

"Hey!" a voice called out. Shihna turned around to see who it was. _Oh._ "What's with the sad look on your face?" Zelos asked. Shihna decided to ignore him. She turned her body back towards the window. Zelos sat down next to her. He stared at her, waiting for her answer.

Shihna shifted uncomfortably. "Could you stop staring at me like that?" she asked.

"If you tell me what's wrong, I will," he said, leaning on the window sill. Shihna glared at him. "I don't want to hear this coming from the person who dragged me here against my will."

"You look like you're sad about something other than being at this party," Zelos said, poking her in the cheek.

"Corrine's not here to celebrate Christmas with me," she said softly.

Zelos patted her on the head reassuringly. "I'm sure Corrine doesn't want you to be sad on Christmas," he said. "And you're not alone. Everybody's here." Shihna nodded. "I'm sure Corrine's watching over you," he continued, stroking her hair. "And I, the great Master Zelos is watching over you too!"

"I don't need _you _to watch over me!" Shihna protested, pushing his arm away. "You per-" Something above their heads caught her eye. She looked up. "...Mistletoe," she said in disbelief. Zelos looked up too. A moment of silence passed. They stared at each other with blushes across their faces.

"Well..." Zelos started. He struggled to find the words to continue. "A kiss on the cheek doesn't count, you know," he mumbled. Shihna's face reddened even more. "...Idiot."

Shihna's heart beat faster as Zelos leaned forward. She could feel his breath on her face. "Scared?" Zelos asked.

"A little," Shihna mumbled. He chuckled. "I-It's not funny!" Shihna turned her face away from his. Zelos reached up and moved her face to look at him again.

"I'll make it quick and painless. I promise." Shihna didn't get any time to respond. Her cheeks flushed as their lips touched. Strangely enough, she wasn't disgusted. In fact, she...didn't mind it. Okay, fine. She liked it, but only a little. Only a little. "Now, that wasn't so bad was it?" Zelos asked, pulling away.

"It could've been better," Shihna muttered.

"You enjoyed it," Zelos said cheerfully.

"I did not!" Shihna protested, whacking him on the head.

"Ow!" Zelos whined, rubbing his head. "I was only telling the truth!" He smiled. "I did too," he suddenly said. Shihna didn't answer, her eyes concentrated on the floor. "I'll talk to you later." Zelos stood up and stretched. "I feel better now that you've cheered up." He ran off to bother the others.

"...That stupid philanderer," Shihna mumbled.

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Gah. DX So tired. Again. Vacations are supposed to refresh us, not wear us down!! I demand a refund! Anyways, this is the last Christmas chapter. XD Unfortunately there won't be a New Year's chapter. (It's too late now anyways. DX) It wasn't that great of an idea anyways. Just a whole bunch of fireworks and stuff. Nothing special.

Writing this chapter was really awkward. XD I was going..."What?" the whole time so I'm sorry if it's all screwed up. DX


	44. As Long As I Live

* * *

Shihna quietly shut the door of the guest room behind her. She couldn't sleep no matter how hard she tried. There wasn't really anything wrong. The bed was comfortable...maybe a bit too comfortable. Or maybe it was the fact that she was sleeping in Zelos' house that made her uneasy. She didn't really like Meltokio either. _I wish we could've stayed somewhere other than here_, she thought as she descended the stairs.

As she reached the last step on the stairs she noticed that the fireplace was still lit. _That saves me the trouble of having to light it again_. She sat down on the couch and stared at the flames. She leaned back. Her thought travelled to various topics. How much she wanted to sleep, what they would be doing tomorrow, where they would be going...all kinds of things. She let her mind drift until it crashed into an extremely aggravating thought. Zelos Wilder. "Eugh," she muttered. "That stupid Chosen."

What did she feel for him anyways? Hatred? No, it wasn't that strong. He was annoying and perverted, but she still considered him to be one of her friends. Friends. That was all, wasn't it? There wasn't anything more, right? Shihna's cheeks reddened slightly. Of course not! Who was she kidding? She would never feel that way towards that _idiot_. She shook her head. No, no, no.

Okay, maybe she did like him more than a friend. Only a little bit, though. Something like a _best _friend. Yeah...a best friend.

Damn. She couldn't fool herself. The answer was sitting right in front of her, but she refused to look it in the eye. Her? Love Zelos Wilder? Impossible. She twirled a strand of her hair, now free from the messy ponytail it was always in, around her finger. _I don't love him_, she told herself. _I don't_.

With those thoughts in her mind she drifted off to the world of sleep.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Meanwhile, Zelos was pointlessly walking around his huge mansion, wondering exactly why he was still awake. He should've been in bed hours ago, not pacing the floor thinking about...her. Shihna was just another one of them. His enemy- a person from the weaker side. Besides, she wasn't that special. She wasn't that smart and he had seen enough pretty girls.

Oh, fine. He lied about seeing enough pretty girls. But she was...beautiful. It wasn't just because her chest was well-endowed either. There was something about her. Something in those gentle eyes of hers and the smile she gave to everyone else except him. He wanted that; he wanted it so badly. It's just that he could never say anything right. Ninety-nine percent of the time their conversations ended with Shihna slapping him in the face and calling him a pervert or an idiot. The remaining one percent was for the times when he actually managed to say something decent to her. That was when he was rewarded with a smile or he was spared from her beating him senseless. He seemed to live for those rare moments.

Zelos walked into his living room, noticing that he forgot to put the fireplace out and...was she sleeping on his couch?! He stepped forward without making a sound. She was. He smiled at the innocent look on her face. She looked so cute with her dark hair framing her face. Zelos quietly walked up the stairs.

He returned a few minutes later with a blanket in his arms. _It would be bad if she caught a cold,_ he thought, covering her body with the blanket. "She looks like an angel when she sleeps," he mumbled to himself, stroking her hair softly.

"Nnh?" Shihna opened her eyes groggily. "Zelos?"

"Oh, sorry," he said, pulling away. "It looks like I woke you up." Shihna shook her head. "I was worried about you catching a cold, but I didn't want to disturb you so I got you a blanket," Zelos explained, hoping that Shihna wasn't thinking the wrong thing. All she did was nod tiredly while rubbing her eyes. "I'm gonna...go sleep now," he said. "Good night, Shihna."

"Wait," Shihna mumbled. She struggled so sit up.

"What is it?" Zelos asked softly.

"Please stay," she murmured, pressing herself against him. "Please..." she repeated.

Zelos stood, as still as stone, wondering what to do. _Shihna _had just asked him to stay. He looked down at her. She was looking up at him, her eyes like a lost child's. He wanted to stay, but he considered what would happen in the morning when Shihna woke up. Maybe she was just sleep-talking and wouldn't remember anything in the morning. Then he would get beaten up and everybody would think that he had tried to do something to her when he really didn't. "You sure you want me to stay?" he asked.

She nodded. "I do."

Zelos sat down. He felt so nervous. How could he be so carefree with other women and feel so freaked out with her? She was the only one who made him feel this way. "I was thinking about you before I fell asleep," she said, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I hope it wasn't something bad," he replied, adjusting his position so they could both be more comfortable.

"I thought about how I felt about you," she said. "And I...thought that maybe I care more about you than I thought I did." She tugged on his hair playfully. "I'm going to give you another chance, I guess."

"I'll make sure I don't screw things up this time, then," Zelos answered. He tried to control his emotions, but a smile kept on returning to his face.

"You better not..." Shihna mumbled sleepily, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'll kill you if you do."

Zelos snickered. "Would you?" he asked. Shihna didn't respond. She was already sleeping. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "Sleep well, my beautiful princess," he said softly.

He had chosen which side he wanted to fight on. _I must be nuts_, he thought. He was going to be fighting for the weaker side, something he had never done. Usually he fought with the strongest, but this time...He looked down at Shihna. How could one person have so much power over him? Just one request and it ended up like this. Why couldn't he resist?

Oh well.

Whichever side she chose, he would follow her. He wanted to be with her...as long as he lived.

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Sorry it's late! DX I had everything going well and then my train of thought totally derailed and I couldn't think any more. I still can't.

Anyways...I wanted to focus a little more on Zelos. Which I kinda did, but didn't do at the same time because my mind crashed right about there. DX


	45. No Regrets

* * *

"I hope the rain stops soon," Shihna said to herself, looking out her window. The rain pounded on her roof, mercilessly. She sipped her tea boredly. "I wonder what everybody else is doing right now..."

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud thump that came from outside. "Huh?" She stood up and pulled out one of her cards. She cautiously walked towards the front door. What could be on her doorstep in this weather? She slid open the door and gasped. "Zelos!"

There he was, the idiotic, red-headed Chosen. He was laying on her doorstep, drenched with both rain and his own blood. "H-hey..." he stammered weakly.

Shihna rushed forward and kneeled down next to him. "Don't say that as if everything's fine!" she said, panic taking over her. She struggled to lift him up. "What happened to you?" she asked.

"I was supposed to deliver something to you, but it started raining and monsters attacked me," he explained with difficulty. "And then I managed to get here somehow..."

"You idiot!" Shihna exclaimed.

"I wanted to see you...no matter what..."

"Don't say such stupid things!" she said, pulling him inside.

"It's the truth..." Zelos managed to say before he passed out.

Shihna's eyes widened. "Zelos?!" She shook him lightly. "Wake up!" Tears started to form in her eyes. "Zelos!"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Shihna sighed softly, sitting next to Zelos, who was still unconcious in her futon. "You idiot..." She had somehow managed to drag him into her living room and take off his soggy clothes and bandaged his wounds. She had also taken a short shower and changed out of her clothes, which had also gotten soaked in the rain. "You're always giving me trouble, you know that?" she said to him softly, not caring if he heard her or not.

"Nnnh?" Zelos' eyes fluttered open. He scanned the room, stopping when he noticed his lack of clothing. "I see that you took off my clothes," he said cheerfully.

Shihna's face flushed. "I-I had to! You would have frozen to death! Besides, your underwear is still on!" she exclaimed.

Zelos chuckled softly. "You got a nice look at me, didn't you?"

"I would _never _look at you like that!"

"You had fun with me, eh?"

"I wouldn't do a thing like that with _you_!"

"I would love to take off _your _clothes and have fun with _you_," Zelos murmured seductively.

"Eugh! Why do you still have to be so annoying and perverted when you're injured?!" Shihna demanded. She stood up quickly. "I'm going to get a towel!" She ran out of the room.

Zelos sighed. "Sorry for causing you all this trouble," he mumbled softly.

"It's not really your fault," Shihna said, coming back with a damp towel in her hands. She kneeled down and placed it on Zelos' forehead.

"Thanks," he mumbled. "I wish you could take care of me forever..."

"I don't want to be annoyed by you for the rest of my life," Shihna said, brushing strands of hair away from Zelos' face. "I'll make something for you to eat, okay?"

"Hurry back."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"So what did the king want you to deliver?" Shihna asked, placing a plate of rice balls on the table.

"Dunno. He told me not to open it," he said, "But it's all ruined now."

"Can you sit up?" Shihna asked, ignoring the sad look on his face.

"If you help me, I can."

Shihna sighed and pulled him up. "You're heavy," she muttered.

"You're warm," he answered cheerfully, leaning against her.

"I'll drop you," Shihna growled threateningly.

"Don't be so mean," Zelos whined.

"Just be quiet!" Shihna held a rice ball up to his face.

Zelos took a bite from the rice ball. "It'd be nice if I stayed sick for a long time. You could cook for me and take care of me..."

"You would ruin my life!" Shihna exclaimed.

"But _I'd _be happy," he whined softly, taking another bite.

"I don't care about your happiness," Shihna muttered.

"Aww...don't say that," Zelos said, rubbing against her.

"S-Stop that!" Shihna's face reddened. "Just hurry up and eat! You're wasting my time!"

"Then why'd you bother with saving me? That wasted your time too."

"There's no way I would let you die here! You're the Chosen! Everybody would be chasing after me thinking I killed you," she said.

"You don't want to?" Zelos asked, finishing the rice ball.

"Sometimes I do," she said, starting to pull away her hand.

"Wait," he said, reaching up and grabbing her wrist.

"What?" Shihna demanded, trying to pull her arm away.

"You've got rice on your finger," he said cheerfully. He licked it away.

"Y-You!" Shihna yanked her arm away from him. "You idiot!" The only response she got from Zelos was his laughter. "Eugh!" She let him fall back onto the futon.

"Ow! I'm injured you know!" he whined.

"You deserved it," Shihna pouted angrily.

"Did I?" Zelos asked, looking up at her innocently.

"Yes," she huffed.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

Shihna's back stiffened. Zelos had apologized to her? No way. She looked down at him. He was smiling softly as if he was an angel. _Eugh. Zelos? Angelic? No way. _"I-It's fine. Go to sleep, okay? I'll be right here if you need me."

"Okay," he mumbled, closing his eyes. "Nee...Shihna?"

"What?"

"...Thanks."

"You said that earlier."

"Well, I'm thanking you again..."

"Idiot," Shihna muttered, tucking him in.

"You'd make a good mom," Zelos said, opening his eyes momentarily.

"I told you to sleep."

"If I get better, maybe we can get married and have a kid," he continued cheerfully.

"Sleep!" Shihna commanded.

Zelos stayed silent after that.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Shihna sighed. "When am I ever going to finish this sewing?" She turned to look at Zelos, who had fallen asleep a few hours ago. Her eyes widened. "Zelos?" She moved towards him. "Are you okay?" Her heart beat faster and faster.

Zelos opened his eyes wearily. "I feel sick," he whined softly.

He was drenched in sweat and his face was pale. Shihna placed her hand on his forehead. "You have a fever," she said. "I'll be right back."

"Please hurry..."

Shihna held back her tears when she saw the look in Zelos' eyes. "I..will." She ran out of the room and returned a few minutes later with a basket.

"...I...love you, Shihna," Zelos mumbled.

"Don't say stupid things like that," Shihna replied, unwrapping the bandage around his waist.

"I'm just telling you the truth so I don't regret it when I die," he said.

"You're not going to die!" she exclaimed, trying to convince them both that everything would be okay. "You're not!"

Zelos flinched as Shihna rubbed ointment on his wounds. "And how do you know that?..."

"Listen! I'm not going to accept that stupid love confession of yours unless if you get better!"

"So you're going to accept if I live?"

"I'll consider it at least."

"I promise to live then."

"You better."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Agh. So bright." Zelos covered his face. He blinked rapidly, adjusting to the sunlight streaming through the window. He looked around. Where was he? Oh...right. He remembered now. "Shihna?" he wondered out loud, searching the room for the person who had saved his life. He chuckled softly when he spotted her. She had fallen asleep while sitting at the table. _Did she stay up all night? _He noticed his clothes, folded up neatly right next to him. _Ah. _She had stayed up all night, washing and sewing his clothes back together.

Shihna suddenly sat up and turned around. She sighed with relief when she saw Zelos. "You're okay..."

"Yeah," Zelos answered, struggling to sit up. "And it's all thanks to you."

"I couldn't let you die."

"I know," Zelos said, noticing the dark circles under her eyes. "Sorry for troubling you. I'll leave after breakfast."

"You don't have to leave that fast." Shihna covered her mouth in surprise. How did that manage to slip out?

"Oh...so you don't want me to leave. All right. The great Zelos will stay here and keep you company for a little long-"

"Never mind! You can leave after breakfast!"

He laughed. "Don't worry. I will."

"Good."

Zelos surveyed her closely. "Remember what you said last night?"

"What?"

"That you would consider accepting my love if I lived."

"Ask me again when you're all better," Shihna muttered. "I'm not in the mood to deal with you and your "confessions". You could've been saying that for no reason anyways."

"Fine," he said. _It'd be cruel if I caused her more trouble now... _"Hey...can you help me get up?"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Be careful," Shihna said softly, walking him to the entrance of Mizuho.

"I will, my beautiful hunny," he answered, kissing her on the forehead.

"G-gah! What are you doing?!" Shihna's hand reached up to the place where Zelos had kissed her.

"It's my token of thanks," Zelos said. "See ya!" He climbed onto his rheaird.

"I hope you don't come back!" Shihna yelled at him.

Zelos laughed and flew away.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Shihna looked up from the book she was reading. Was that a knock on her door or was she just hallucinating? She heard it again. "Who would be knocking on my door at this hour?" She stood up reluctantly, and headed towards the door. She opened the door, gasping when she saw who it was. "Zelos?!"

"The one and only," he said, snickering.

"I thought I told you not to come back," Shihna growled.

"You said you _hoped _I wouldn't, which means that you were secretly wishing that I would."

"Eugh!" She rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Come on, now. Don't act as if you don't care. A few days ago you took off my clothes and-"

"That was because you would have frozen to death! And I didn't take off all of your-"

"Same thing," he interrupted. "Anyways, I came here to tell you something."

"What is it?" she demanded.

Zelos leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. Shihna's eyes widened. _What is he doing?! _She tried to pull away, but he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Nnh!"

Zelos finally pulled away. "I love you, Shihna."

"What?"

"You told me that you would consider my feelings when I got better, so here I am."

Shihna looked at the floor. Oh, why had she said that? "Zelos," she paused to catch her breath. "I..."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: For some reason this one got really screwed up. DX I was having trouble writing it, so I'm sorry. And I'm sorry for the rushed ending. I'm a little pressed for time, but I really wanted to update. It seems to have been such a long time since the last time I did.

The next one will be better. I promise. XD


	46. Valentine

* * *

She had asked herself this question many times on the way to his house. She was still asking it when she reached his doorstep. Unfortunately she didn't know the answer.

_What was she doing here?_

It was Valentine's Day. Zelos was probably having fun with his fangirls. Shihna sighed and rang the doorbell. _I hope he's not home,_ she thought.

_I hope he is home..._

The door was opened by a very cheerful Zelos Wilder. "Yo, Shihna! Are you here to confess your love and give me chocolate too?"

The tone of his voice and the big grin on his face disgusted her. "Me? Confess my love to you? That's the most disgusting idea I've ever heard," she answered, her words overflowing with annoyance. She glared at him fiercely. _I shouldn't have come here. I should have stayed in Mizuho. _

"Aww...don't be so cold, my gorgeous hunny. You know you can't resist me. Why else would you be here?"

"I don't know!" Shihna exclaimed. "I thought that maybe I could get a break from everything if I came here, but I guess I was wrong. I'm just going to leave and-"

"Shihna." Zelos grabbed her wrist to prevent her from running away. "Sorry...I didn't know you were so stressed out."

Shihna kept her eyes trained on the ground. She felt like such an idiot.

"I feel a little dissapointed though."

She looked up.

"You didn't give me any chocolate!" Zelos whined.

"You have enough chocolate to last you five years," Shihna said, pointing at the boxes of chocolate Zelos had under his arm.

"It's the way my hunnies show me their love," he answered cheerfully.

"I don't love you, so I don't need to give you any," she said, stepping inside.

"And yet you still bother with visiting me," Zelos said softly.

"I didn't come here specifically to see you," she muttered, clenching her fists.

"Oh, really?" Zelos raised his eyebrows. "Then why are your eyes telling me that you want me to be with you?"

"I-I don't!" Shihna stuttered, her face as red as Zelos' hair.

Zelos reached over and ran a finger over Shihna's cheek. The smile on his face widened when she gasped at his touch. "Yes, you do." He started to move even closer to her.

"Master Zelos, you were supposed to leave for your appointment with the king five minutes ago," Sebastian interrupted suddenly.

"Oh yeah!" Zelos pulled away. "Thanks, Sebastian!" He quickly put on his shoes and started to run out the doorway. "I'll be back in a bit, okay? Just preoccupy yourself with something until I get back."

Shihna didn't have the time to form a response. "...Idiot." She sighed and shuffled towards the living room, dragging her feet on the carpet. She sat down on the couch, keeping her eyes on the floor. She didn't want to look up. A big pile of chocolate happened to be sitting on the coffee table. The fancy packages disgusted her. "Does he seriously like getting all this chocolate?" she muttered under her breath.

"Miss Shihna, perhaps you would like to make some chocolate for Master Zelos?" Sebastian asked. "He likes things that are handmade, but everything he's gotten is storebought."

Shihna considered this for a minute. "It'd just be a waste if I made some. There's no way _he _would eat all this."

"He donates most of it to the unfortunate people who live in the slums," Sebastian answered.

"...Oh." Shihna stood up and stretched. "I guess I'll give him something for being nice then."

Sebastian smiled. "All the materials you will need are in the kitchen."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Finished!" Shihna exclaimed triumphantly as she finished tying the bow on the heart-shaped box of chocolate. She sighed in relief. She had somehow managed to finish everything before Zelos had come home.

"Oi! Shihna!" Zelos burst into the kitchen. "Whatcha doin'?"

Shihna turned around, hiding the chocolate behind her back. "N-nothing!"

Zelos grinned slyly. "It can't be nothing. You have a smudge on your cheek."

"I do?" Shihna reached up to wipe it away. "Is it gone?"

"Nope." He moved forward and pulled out his hankerchief. "Let me do it." Shihna stood still, as he wiped away the smudge. "All gone," he said cheerfully.

"Th-thanks..." she mumbled.

"No problem," he said. He studied her for a moment. "What are you hiding from me?" he asked.

"N-nothing!" Shihna lied, her face flushing.

"Let me see!" Zelos exclaimed childishly.

"No way!" Shihna started to run away from him.

"Yeah way!" Zelos said, chasing after her. He quickly cornered her. "Come on, hunny. It isn't that personal, is it?"

Shihna's blush deepened. "I...umm..." She held the box out to him. "This doesn't mean that I like you in any special way, okay? I was just bored!"

Zelos didn't respond for a while. "...Thanks," he finally said. "I didn't expect anything coming from you." He held the box as if he didn't really know what to do with it.

"Sebastian said you like things that are handmade, but I don't know if it turned out well," Shihna said nervously. "I've only made chocolate once before..."

"If it's from you, I'm sure it tastes good," Zelos said softly. He slowly undid the ribbon on the box. "I'm sure it will."

Shihna shuffled her feet nervously as Zelos opened the box. "Don't be too dissapointed if it doesn't taste good. I warned you."

"Looks good," he said, taking out a giant chocolate heart. "I might get fat eatting all this."

"I didn't say that you had to eat it," Shihna mumbled, looking down at her feet.

Zelos broke off a piece of the chocolate. "I don't mind gaining a bit of weight if it's from you." He put the chocolate into his mouth cheerfully.

"Idiot."

Zelos chuckled softly. "Here." He held a piece up to her mouth.

"I can feed myself!" Shihna said, her face burning again.

"But we won't look like a couple if you feed yourself!" Zelos protested.

"We're not a couple!"

"And she says this after she gives me heart-shaped chocolate for Valentine's Day," Zelos said.

"I told you, I was bored!" she retorted.

"That's just an excuse, my darling hunny. In reality you love me."

"I do no-"

Zelos stuffed the piece of chocolate in Shihna's mouth. "You're so cute when you try to deny it."

Shihna glared at him as she chewed on the chocolate irritably. "I don't love you," she stated, when she finished. "I never will."

"Maybe if you keep telling yourself that, everybody else will start believing it too," he said cheerfully, poking her in the forehead. He placed the heart back into the box. "Thanks, Shihna."

"Y-You're welcome."

Zelos suddenly reached over and hugged her. "Will you give me chocolate next year too?" he whispered in her ear.

"If I feel like it..." Shihna mumbled, feeling nervous about being so close to Zelos. She realized that the top of her head barely reached Zelos' shoulders. Had he always been this tall? Was their childhood really that long ago?

"What if I feel like it?" he asked.

"I don't care if you feel like it," Shihna said, pushing him away. "I'm not obligated to do anything for you."

"Happy Valentine's Day," Zelos said, ignoring what she said. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Stay over for dinner tonight, okay?" He said it more as a command than a request. "I'll get Sebastian to set everything up." With that, he left the room.

Shihna was glad that Zelos wasn't there to see how red her face was. "...Idiot," she mumbled under her breath.

"...I love you."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: I'm sorry it's late! This should've been up a week ago, but I ran out of time. Byaaah! But now it's here! And it's done!

Hehehehehe...


	47. White Day

* * *

"So, why are you here?" Shihna asked Zelos, not looking up from her sewing.

"Does it matter why I'm here?"

"Yes."

"I just wanted to see you," Zelos said cheerfully.

"That doesn't count," she replied, narrowing her eyes. "I highly doubt that you're serious about that anyways."

"But I am!" he whined.

"Pfft..."

"I am!" he repeated. He stared at her intensely as he lay on her living room floor.

"Ow!" Shihna exclaimed as she accidentally jabbed herself in the finger with her needle. "Can't you bother someone else? I'm busy!"

Zelos rolled over so his head rested on her lap. "But hunny, it's no fun bugging anybody else!"

"Do you really want to ruin my life that bad?" she asked, looking down at him with her eyebrows raised.

"I think of it as making your life more wholesome by allowing myself to be in it," he answered, taking Shihna's hand and looking at the place where she had injured herself.

"Getting annoyed all the time makes my life more wholesome?"

"Sure!"

Shihna pushed him off her lap and returned to her sewing. "Idiot."

"Hey, Shihna. You know what day it is right?" Zelos asked, sitting up.

Shihna looked up thoughtfully. "...It's White Day, isn't it? Did you give your fangirls anything?"

"Of course not! I'd be broke if I gave all of my hunnies presents!" Zelos protested.

"I see."

"Aww...are you dissapointed, Shihna?"

"I couldn't care less," she said nonchalantly.

"You don't have to pretend you don't care, hunny. I got you something."

"Oh," she said, not looking up.

"_Shihna_," Zelos pouted. He leaned against her. "Aren't you curious?"

"I'm not, so get off of me."

Zelos held a small box in front of her face. "You sure you don't want it?" he asked slyly. He waved it around.

Shihna snatched the box from him. "You're so annoying!"

"You can stop pretending you're not happy about it. I can see that you're smiling," Zelos said, poking her in the cheek.

"Sh-shut up," Shihna mumbled, slowly tearing the wrapping paper.

"You're taking such a long time," Zelos whined.

"Be patient, stupid Chosen." Shihna snuck a glance at him. Why was he so enthusiastic? Was the present really that important? She opened the box hesitantly.

"I wasn't sure if you would like it or not," Zelos said softly, "because it has our initials on it..."

Shihna stared at the present he had given her. It was a bear made out of diamonds with a heart made of ruby held in its paws. Their initials were engraved in gold on the heart. "How much did this cost?" she asked.

"That doesn't really matter," Zelos answered. "As long as you like it, it doesn't matter how much gald it costs."

"Thank you," Shihna mumbled, trying to hold back the tears in her eyes. "You really...didn't have to give me this." She choked back a sob.

"Shihna?"

"I-It's nothing. Don't worry about it," she said, wiping the tears away with her hand.

"Really?"

She nodded. "Really."

"I love you, Shihna," Zelos said suddenly.

Shihna looked down at the floor. "I...uhh..." Her face reddened.

"Hmm?"

"I love you too," she mumbled.

"What was that?" Zelos asked, leaning closer.

"I-I love you, okay?!" Shihna exclaimed nervously. "That's all!"

"I thought I was hearing things when you said that the first time," Zelos said. "You're really serious about that?"

"Of course!" she growled. "I couldn't confess to you on Valentine's Day so I just kept quiet about it."

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that," Zelos said. He kissed her on the forehead. "I'm going to take care of you from now on, okay? That's a promise."

"If you don't keep that promise, I'll kill you," Shihna answered, leaning against him.

"Of course," he said. "I don't want to die just yet."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: I'm sorry this is so late. DX I've had so many things to do and a bunch of things have happened. I'll try to get back on schedule next week. DX I really will!!


	48. Sacrifice For You

* * *

"So...why aren't you with the others?" Shihna asked, staring at the fireplace.

"I should be asking you the same question," Zelos replied, also staring at the fire as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"I don't feel like going outside," Shihna said. "It's too cold." She hugged her knees. "I have no reason to go out anyways..."

"You didn't want to go outside with Lloyd?" Zelos asked, his voice totally indifferent.

"W-why would I want to do that?" Shihna stuttered. Her face reddened.

"You like him don't you?" He looked at her as if she was crazy. "Do you need any other reasons?"

"He has Collet," Shihna said, "There's no point in me being there."

"If you really like him, you shouldn't care about that," Zelos retorted.

"It's because I like him that much that I have to let him be with Collet! I just want him to be happy, okay? But I guess _you _wouldn't understand."

Zelos didn't say anything for a while. His eyes were focused on the fire. "I do understand," he said softly. He stood up slowly. "That's why..." He didn't finish his sentence. He started to walk towards the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Shihna asked.

"I'm going to sleep. I'm tired," he answered. He trudged up the stairs without looking back.

Shihna looked down at her feet. "I'm such an idiot," she mumbled. "I said such a stupid thing to him even though he was right..." She traced a circle on the floor. _Why do I always say those things to him?_ she asked herself. _And why does he always brush it off as if it's nothing? I know he feels hurt by it. _She stood up. "I guess I'll apologize to him." She walked up the stairs slowly. Part of her was still reluctant. It didn't want her to admit that she was wrong. She sighed. _Will he even forgive me?_

She knocked on the door nervously. "Zelos?" She opened the door slightly. She could barely see the outline of his body in the darkness. "Are you awake?"

"What do you want?" Zelos asked. Shihna couldn't help noticing that his voice sounded tired. Tired of her...tired of everything.

"I'm sorry for what I said." She opened the door a little more. "You were right."

"You were right too," he said.

Shihna sat down next to him. "But I shouldn't have said a mean thing like that..."

"It's fine. It's not like you don't say things like that all the time."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be."

"Doesn't it hurt you?" she asked.

"I've gotten used to it," he replied. "Now are you going to leave or what? You've said that you're sorry." He put a fake smile on his face. "I need my sleep, you know."

Shihna's heart felt heavy as she stared at his face. His eyes were so...empty. Usually he was so happy and energetic, but now she could see exactly how broken he was. She brushed his hair away from his face. "You don't have to hide how much it hurts, Zelos."

Zelos pulled away from her. "I thought you liked Lloyd," he said bitterly.

"That doesn't mean I don't care about you," she said.

"You're giving me the wrong message here. You _say _that the one you love is Lloyd, but the one that you're always with is me."

Shihna froze. She stared at him with a blank expression on her face. "What do you mean?..."

"If you really like Lloyd, then why are you always hanging around with me? Why don't you go off with him sometime?"

"I..." Shihna had trouble thinking of an answer. "It's because...with you I'm not that nervous. We've known each other for a long time so I guess I feel like I can tell you anything. I'm not really sure..."

"Are you sure you think of me as just a friend?" Zelos asked.

"Of course! I've already experienced how bad a relationship with you is!" Shihna exclaimed.

"Alright then..." He leaned back. _Of course you don't want to be with me again._

"W-what?! You don't believe me?" Shihna demanded.

"I never said that," Zelos answered cheerfully.

"You were thinking it!"

"Was I?"

Shihna growled at him. "I'm serious!"

Zelos leaned dangerously close to her. "Are you sure?"

"Y-yeah!" Shihna said, backing away slightly.

"Really?" He leaned closer.

"I said yeah!" Shihna exclaimed, backing up even more.

Zelos kissed her on the forehead. "Whatever you say, hunny."

Shihna blushed. "What was that for?!"

"I felt like it," Zelos answered.

"Idiot!" Shihna stood up suddenly. "I can't believe I bothered wasting my time apologizing to you!"

Zelos smiled. "Thanks for cheering me up anyways."

Shihna's face reddened even more. "I-I'm going to sleep!"

"Good night, hunny," he said cheerfully as Shihna ran out the door. He sighed. "I know better than anybody...about wanting the person I love most to be happy."

* * *

Wow. It's been a long time since I updated. I'm so sorry. DX A bunch of things happened...exams, birthdays, Otafest. (I was cosplaying as Shihna by the way. :D) It was so fun. There was a bunch of us cosplaying as ToS characters. Hee hee.

And I should answer reviews...because if I don't, everything will explode.

**Maxmagnus20019- **That's why writing about them is so fun. XD Thanks for the review.

**whiterose2406- **Can anybody really resist Zelos? I know I can't. XD And yes, Zelos would be a great dad. It'd be so cute. XD

**-Magical Mahou- - **You really don't have to thank me!! I should be thanking you for reading my (horrible) fanfiction in the first place. And I'm sorry for the short chapters...I seem to have a long-term writer's block. I hope it gets better soon though. I actually have a plan for them having a kid. I'll be writing about it some time. XD It's just that I like to spread out the themes I have for my fanfiction so my readers aren't bombarded with the same stuff all the time.

In Chapter 40 I just had to have Lloydy and Colly ruin the moment. Because ruining moments is one of the things I do best. XD Heh heh. And thanks for adding me as a favourite author. I'm so happy. :D

And yes, I will make Zelos and Shihna kiss. XD It's just awkward...and I like to use those kind of moments sparingly.

**blade liger knight- **Thank you for reading! :D And I honestly have no idea how Shihna's obi/sash works even _after _cosplaying as her. The screeching in Chapter 20...I don't know. I guess I'll leave it up to the readers on who that is. By the way, the hiccup idea is AWESOME. I love it. I'll write about it some time. Also, you're free to give me ideas any time. After all, I'm only one person and my head can only think so much. XD

I do have other chapters of Zelos and Shihna's marriage planned. You'll just have to wait and see. ;) (In case if anybody wants to know...yes, I am sadistic.)

**delusionment-** I love chapter 39 too. XD And I will update more as soon as my exams are over.

**Veraliana- **I've fixed my new oneshots according to your suggestion. XD And the kind of writer's block I have is the one that I really want to write, but can't do anything about it. DX And yes, I have watched the ToS OVA. And rewatching it at Otafest makes me wonder if I can take anything seriously ever again...MILK DA COW! MILK DA COW!!

Yes, I do owe you guys something. DX Having everybody read my fanfic for this long makes me so happy. It makes me feel bad if I don't update.

**MoonlitInuko- **Inuko-chan!! Thanks for reading! :D And you don't have to rush. You can give me the picture at any time.

And I'm sorry for not updating in so long. D: Really.

**Minuit Chanson17- **Aww...thank you! I hope you enjoyed reading my fanfiction as much as I enjoyed writing it. :D

**.'.Sympho.'.- **Thank you so much! I really don't deserve that much praise.

**Faux Promises- **Valentine's plus Zelos and Shihna is always good. :D Sometimes I wish Valentine's Day could happen more often.

**sina rischeid/Angelic Snow-** Yes, I am. XD And your english isn't bad at all. It's really good, actually! Thanks for reviewing!

And yeah...for some reason the review thingy won't let you say 1000. I really don't know why.

You're not annoying! D: Not at all! And yes, I know the ending for Chapter 47 was rushed. I'm sorry. DX

**SecretSoltice- **But it's Zelos! It needs the word "hunny" in it! D: Heh heh. Thanks for reviewing!!

**Hikaru La Britachiin- **Thank you!

**Scaff- **Yay! Zelos! Heh heh! IN BED!! And I love you too-I mean...I hate you!


	49. Going Home

* * *

"You really didn't have to take me home," Shihna said as she got off of Zelos' rheaird.

"But I'd feel uneasy if I let you go home alone this late," Zelos answered.

"I think it makes me worried to have you take me home than going home alone," Shihna grumbled as she started walking towards her house. To her annoyance, Zelos followed her. "Could you stop following me? I can walk back to my house all by myself."

"But you could get attacked or something," he whined.

"This is Mizuho," Shihna said. "I'll be fine."

"Bad things can happen anywhere, hunny," Zelos stated.

"Especially when you're with me," Shihna grumbled. She opened the door of her house. "You can leave now. Nothing's going to attack me in my house."

"That's what you think."

"That's what I know. Now leave."

She felt tempted to shut the door in his face, but she didn't feel like being sadistic.

"Well, I guess I'll leave now since you obviously don't want me here," Zelos mumbled reluctantly. "I'll see you tomorrow, Shihna."

"_Bye_, Zelos," Shihna grumbled as she reached over to shut the door.

"Oh!"

Zelos suddenly turned around. "One more thing!"

"What?" Shihna demanded. She could only be patient for so long...

"I love you," he said softly. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

"Y-you idiot! H-hurry up and leave!" Shihna squeaked. She tried, unsuccessfully, to hide the redness of her face. "I'm never letting you take me home again!" She shut the door in his face.

Zelos sighed. "And you wonder why I cheat on you," he mumbled.

"What?!" Shihna opened the door again, her face red with anger this time.

"I'm kidding," Zelos said. "Really."

"I hate how I end up believing in you, no matter what happens."

"I love how you let yourself believe in me," Zelos answered, turning around to leave. "Good night, Shihna!"

"Good night..."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: I have a headache, my mind's exploding and I have the sudden urge to eat fish. What...the hell?

Anyways, I haven't updated in a while. D: Too many exams...but now I'm free so it's all good. Rabid updates of doom!

And about this chapter...I started it two (three?) weeks ago so I'm not really sure about what I was thinking then. I really need to stop doing that. O.o;; Need to stop with the fluff...or I'm going to drown in it. XD


	50. Missing Piece

* * *

Nothing was missing. She was now chief of Mizuho, she had succeeded as peace emissary to Iselia and there weren't really any major problems she had to deal with. So why was she feeling this way? What was missing from her life?

Shihna stopped in the middle of writing an important letter. The thing that was missing...it couldn't be. She shook her head. _No way_, she thought. There was no way it could be _him._

Or could it?

The letter could wait, she decided. She stood up quickly, almost knocking her cup of tea over. _A little visit won't hurt_, she thought as she headed out the door.

"Orochi, I'm going out for a while," she called, not even bothering to wait for a response. It wouldn't have mattered to her if he had told her to stay anyways. She had to go. Absolutely had to.

Many thoughts went through Shihna's mind as her rheaird raced across the clear blue sky. How would he react? What would he say? What should _she _say? These thoughts still ran through her head as she ran through the gates that lead to Tethe'alla's capital city.

_When was the last time I've been to Meltokio?_ Shihna wondered as she rushed through the city absentmindedly, observing her surroundings. It brought a strange feeling to her, as if she had come home. _Strange_, she thought. _I've never felt at home in this place before. _Was it because he was here? Was she really that desperate to see that flirtatious idiot? Sure, he could be a decent person at times, but that didn't mean that he was that important to her. She could go without his crude remarks about her body or the way he made himself seem more important than everybody else. Of course he was the former Chosen, but that didn't mean he could walk around as if he owned everything.

He also happened to be extremely gorgeous. As soon as that thought invaded her head, Shihna blushed. What was she _thinking? _His looks weren't that special...except for those sapphire blue eyes and his unruly crimson hair. Goddess Martel, that hair made her insane. Shihna felt her face heat up even more. _What am I doing?! I can't think of Zelos like that. He's just...he's just..._

What was he?

Shihna hesitantly rang the doorbell. Visiting didn't seem like such a good idea any more. She held her breath as the door slowly opened.

"Shihna?"

There he was...the famous Zelos Wilder. He hadn't changed much. He had the same conceited grin that made her want to slap him in the face and the same wandering eyes (that she also wanted to slap him for). For a few seconds he just stood there as if he couldn't believe she was there. He blinked several times to make sure she wasn't an illusion.

"Shihna!" he said again, wrapping his arms around her in a friendly hug. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too," Shihna said softly.

It felt so natural to have him hug her. Had it always been this way? She had pushed him away so many times in the past, but now it just felt so...warm. Suddenly, he pulled away.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I'm just so happy to see you."

"It's okay."

This was strange. Zelos had never seemed embarassed when he hugged her in the past. Of course, she had barely ever let him, but why was he like this now? Had something happened? She stared at him, looking for a subtle change that she might have missed. His brow was furrowed slightly. Was he worried about something?

"I wasn't expecting you," he stated. "I wonder if we have anything..."

"Don't worry about it!" Shihna exclaimed. "It's my fault for showing up so suddenly. I'll only stay for a few minutes-"

"No way! Not after you've come all this way!"

He made her sit on the couch with a grin plastered on his face.

"I'll get Sebastian to make something," he said disappearing into the kitchen. "Oh!"

He came out suddenly. "You better not try to leave, or I'll send people after you." He went back inside again.

Shihna sighed. _Why would I try?_ She leaned back and looked around. Nothing had really changed. There was the piano in the corner and the portrait of Mylene Wilder. It had always captivated her. She wondered what it would've been like if the elegant woman in the picture had lived. Maybe Zelos would've been a different person than he was now.

"It'll be ready in a few minutes," Zelos said.

Shihna's attention turned to Zelos, who was sitting next to her on the couch. She was so spaced out she didn't even notice him sit down. _Did he notice that I was staring at the picture? _she thought.

"So...anything special happen?" he asked.

"Mmm...not really," she answered.

"Hmmm..."

Sebastian walked in carrying a tray loaded with cake and tea, making the awkward situation even more so.

"It's nice to see you again, Miss Shihna," he said, breaking the tension.

"It's good to see you too."

Sebastian left the tray on the coffee table and left them alone.

"Did you get a boyfriend?" Zelos asked.

Shihna could see the gleam of mischief in his eyes. "Yes, I did actually," she replied nonchalantly.

"Oh," Zelos responded. He pretended to be surprised. "What's his name?"

"His name's work and he happens to be a pain in the butt. You introduced him to me, remember?"

"Hmm...I didn't think you'd mind. You have work to do as the chief of Mizuho too, don't you?"

"I wasn't asking for more work that you could've easily done," Shihna grumbled.

"But hunny, as Tethe'alla's former Chosen, I have lots of things to-"

"Lots of things to do as in flirt with girls," Shihna said. She couldn't help feeling slightly angry. "It was a mistake for me to come here. Sorry for wasting your _precious _time, Mr. Chosen."

Shihna stood up and started to head for the door. To her annoyance, Zelos blocked her path.

"Whoa there, hunny. Why are you so angry?"

Shihna wanted to glare at him, but she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She wouldn't let him see those tears. Never.

"I'm angry because I came here to see if the thing missing from my life was you. I was denying it in my heart, but I came here anyways. I thought that maybe I was wrong, but it turns out that I'm not! You're still a philandering idiot that doesn't care about anything other than himself!"

Zelos stared at her in silence for a while. Shihna discovered that the tears she had tried to hide were running down her face, but she didn't care any more. Let his last memory of her be one where she was in tears. She didn't care.

"And I thought I was the only one who felt that..." Zelos mumbled. "I was planning on visiting you, but you came to me first. I wanted to tell you my true feelings so badly."

Shihna gasped as Zelos stepped forward and embraced her. She could feel him shaking slightly.

"I love you, Shihna. I don't want you missing from my life any more," he whispered into her ear. "I don't want to let you go ever again."

"I love you too," Shihna managed to say before bursting into sobs. _I love you too..._

"I should go now," Shihna mumbled a few minutes later. She had said that she'd be out _for a while_.

"I don't think they'll be mad if you don't come back tonight," Zelos answered. "I'm sure everybody thinks that you need a break."

"You want me stay all night?" Shihna demanded.

"I don't see why not. There's a lot of fun things I could teach you-"

"Pervert!" Shihna pulled away from him. "I was just starting to trust you more and now you ruined it!" She was only joking, just as she knew he was joking about the fun things they could do...she hoped.

"You can sleep in my room if you like, but if you don't want to there's always the guest room," he murmured as he pulled her closer again.

"I don't know if I trust you enough," she replied softly.

"Mmm...maybe you do and just won't admit it."

"Or I just don't..."

Their conversation stopped as their lips met each other. It was interesting, Shihna thought, to have fantasies of doing exactly what she was doing with Zelos now and to actually have them happen. She also happened to notice out of the corner of her eye that Zelos had forgotten to shut the blinds on his living room windows so whoever happened to be walking by could see what was going on inside. She couldn't help being a little smug about being the one Zelos had chosen, and not those rich, snobby girls that lived next to him. It was even better that some of them stopped in the middle of the street to check if their eyes were deceiving them or not. And their facial expressions...priceless.

In the end it didn't really matter to her though. So what if Zelos was the Chosen? She didn't care if people said that she was after his money. She knew the truth and so did he. They were two people who were fortunate enough to have found their missing pieces.

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: I've made it to 50! :D Everybody do the "I got to chapter 50" dance! Yaaay!

I started writing this a few weeks ago...at about twelve at night? Then I finished it at about two in the morning a few days ago. XD Which is probably why some of the descriptions sound so funny. Oh well. I find them interesting.


	51. Love or Not?

* * *

"Hey."

Shihna turned to look at Zelos. "What?"

What was he doing here again? Didn't he have a house of his own?

"Do you love me?"

Shihna's mind went blank. Did he just say what she thought he said? She stared at his face, checking to see if he was joking or not. He stared back with an unusually serious expression on his face.

"Why are you asking so suddenly?" she asked. Her whole body seemed to be heating up. She felt nervous, as if she was being tested on something she hadn't studied for.

"I just want to know," he answered.

"Uhh...I...ye-no..." she stammered. What was she supposed to say? She averted her eyes from his stare. This was so hard. If she said no, she would be lying to him and herself, but if she said yes...

"Z-Zelos, I..." The words wouldn't come out. "What I'm trying to say is..."

"It's okay if you _don't_ love me, you know. You don't have to sugarcoat anything. I-"

"That's not what I meant!" she exclaimed. "I...I do love you! Really!" She covered her mouth. Did she really say that?

A grin appeared on Zelos' face. "I knew it! You do love me!" He leaned over and engulfed her in a hug.

"Let go, you idiot! I can't breathe!"

"Shihna loves meeeeee," Zelos sang, rocking back and forth.

"I told you to let go!" she growled.

"You _don't_ want your lover to hold on to you?" Zelos asked playfully.

"Th-that's not-"

"Then stop complaining."

Shihna sighed. "I'm such an idiot."

"Hmm?"

"Out of all the people I could've fallen in love with, I had to choose you," she grumbled.

"That's why I feel so lucky," Zelos mumbled.

"And I feel _unlucky_ because I have to deal with you for the rest of my life."

"But you wouldn't want it any other way, would you?"

Shihna smiled. No, she wouldn't.

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: That took...longer than expected. n.n;; Somehow my idea evolved and mutated or something...

Anyways, thanks to everyone who has read this far. I wouldn't have made it this far without you!


	52. For Your Birthday

* * *

"Shihna, wakey wakey!"

"Mmmrph," Shihna grunted. She pulled the blanket over her head.

"Shihna!" Zelos whined, pulling at the blanket.

"Let me sleep," she grumbled.

"Come on, Shihna. I got you something nice for your birthday," Zelos said. He continued to tug on the blanket. He sighed in frustration when Shihna didn't stir. "Please wake up," he pleaded.

"No," was Shihna's muffled reply.

"Well then..." Zelos said thoughtfully. He lay down next to her. "You're adorable when you're like this too." He pulled a small box out of his pocket. "Here." He placed it next to her. "I guess I'll be seeing you later..." He started to get up.

"You're leaving already?" Shihna asked, pushing the blanket away.

"Well, you don't want to wake up..."

"I'm tired. I went to bed at four."

"I'll make breakfast for you and then I'll leave, okay?"

"Okay," Shihna mumbled.

"Happy Birthday, Shihna," Zelos said softly. He shut the door behind him.

Shihna looked at the box. "Thanks..."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Birthday update! (It's a little late. DX) I wonder what's in the box? XD Heh heh...


	53. Sleeping

* * *

"Dinner's almost ready," Genius told Collet, as he stirred the contents of the pot of soup that he made.

"Okay!" she answered cheerfully. She ran off to tell the others, who were spread out around the camp they had made at the Balacruft Masoleum. In a few minutes, she had announced that dinner was almost ready to almost everyone...except for two. "Where's Zelos and Shihna?" she wondered out loud. Her eyes scanned the camp site. "Oh!"

She rushed over to the tree that they were sitting against. "Dinner's almost rea-" she stopped midsentence. They were both asleep. Shihna's head was resting on Zelos' shoulder, a content smile on her face. It was one of those rare moments when they weren't bickering or attacking each other. More like...Shihna wasn't attacking Zelos. _They're so adorable!_ Collet thought. _But how did they end up like this?..._

The Shihna she knew wouldn't have willingly ended up in a position like this, especially not with that smile on her face. She mumbled something in her sleep, and settled into a more comfortable position. _I guess I'll just leave them there,_ Collet thought, slowly stepping away so she wouldn't wake them up.

-0-0-0-0-

"You idiot!"

"Shihna woke up, I see," Lloyd stated, wincing as he heard the sound of Shihna slapping Zelos. Zelos' loud protests echoed throughout the campsite.

"Shihna, I didn't mean to do anything! You just fell asleep and-"

"I don't want to hear it, you pervert!"

Genius sighed. "I'm not sure if we should go stop her or not..."

"Pervert! Philanderer!" Each word was followed with a slap.

"Maybe we should..."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: I finally updated! Yay! 83 Sorry for the delay. I decided to stop writing until I had my history exam. n.n;; And this oneshot was _soooo_ hard to write. D: I don't know why. It just was. But I'm finished it now so I'm happy.

And I'll try to update as much as I can before school starts. :3 I have lots of ideas swimming around in my head.


	54. Memories of Mother

Warning: Spoilers about Zelos' family!! D:

Piercing blue eyes and a mouth set as a firm line returned Shihna's stare. The woman in the painting made Shihna nervous, but for some reason she couldn't look away. There was something about her that attracted Shihna. Strangely enough, she got the same feeling from someone else, and that someone else was...

"Why are you standing there all spaced out and stuff?"

Zelos.

"No reason...I just..."

Zelos' eyes travelled to what Shihna was looking at. "Looking at my mom, huh?"

Shihna nodded. "She's beautiful."

"She _was_ beautiful," Zelos corrected her.

She looked at him from the corner of her eye. She could tell that he was trying hard not to look sad, but she could see it plainly, as if he had put on a mask made of glass. "Do you...miss her?" she asked cautiously.

For a few minutes, the only sound was silence. "Sometimes," he answered softly. It seemed like that was all he was going to say, but after a moment he continued. "She wasn't really loving or motherly to me most of the time, but I just wanted to please her so badly. I wanted to make her smile, but I just couldn't. If anything, I made her sad because I was the result of the life that she was forced to live. I wasn't really her _son_. I was just a burden that she was forced to carry, yet I still wish that she hadn't died. I wish that she was still here." He brushed a few strands of hair from his face. "That's weird, isn't it? Wanting her to come back even though I'd never be able to make her happy..."

"There's nothing wrong with it," Shihna said softly. "No matter what, she was your mother. It isn't wrong to want her to come back." She shuffled her feet nervously. "I'm not very good at talking about things like this, but...I think it's perfectly normal for you to want her to come back. I'd like to see my mom too...wherever she is."

"Thanks, Shihna," Zelos mumbled softly, his voice cracking on the last syllable. He started shuddering slightly. "Thanks..."

"Zelos, you can cry if you want to. I won't think less of you if you do," she reassured him gently. "I promise I won't tell anybody about this..."

She let out a small gasp of surprise as he suddenly moved forward and held her close to him. "Just for a little while," he said into her hair. "Please."

"Okay," she answered, her facial expression softening when she heard the sadness in his voice. She reached up and stroked his hair awkwardly. "Just let it all out," she cooed softly. "You'll feel better after." She was answered with Zelos' muffled sobs.

"It was all my fault," he murmured after a while. "She died because of me."

"It wasn't your fault, Zelos," Shihna answered, choking back tears. "Don't ever think that it was your fault."

"But if I didn't exist, she wouldn't have..."

"It's not your fault," she repeated. "You didn't do anything wrong." A tear streaked down her face. "And don't ever think that not existing would've solved everything. If you weren't here, my life would be so different. I could have..." _I could have died._

"I didn't think that you'd be the type to spout off nonsense to make other people feel better," Zelos said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I-It's the truth!" she exclaimed. "You stupid Chosen! I was trying to cheer you up, and yet you still make fun of me!"

"I know," he whispered into her ear. "Thank you."

"You idiot. You don't need to thank me," Shihna mumbled. "Now get away from me. You said that you would only do this for a little while."

"Just a little longer?" Zelos mumbled.

"G-get off, you stupid Chosen."

"Oh, fine," he grumbled. He pulled away slowly. "Thanks again...for letting me do that."

"It was nothing," Shihna answered, feeling slightly embarassed. "It was a little surprising, though. I've never seen you like that before."

"I'm filled with surprises," he answered smugly. "And if you want, you can stay over tonight and I could show you some more of the-"

"Eugh! No way!" she retorted.

_And then we return...to the way we were before, as if nothing had happened._

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Heylo! So much for "mass updating". XD;; Summer and all of my free time just...flew by. I hope that some day my wish of having a summer where I do almost nothing will be fulfilled. XD Then I would get to update...lots.

Anyways, I wanted to write something a little different. Zelos crying...huhuhuhu. It's a little strange seeing him like that, isn't it? But of course, despite his exterior he really is fragile inside. That's one of my favourite things about him. 83 And Shihna naturally gets confused when she sees hiim like that...XD


	55. What Are You Doing In My Room?

* * *

What was he doing?

_No matter how you look at this, it's suspicious, _Zelos thought. He shuddered at what could happen to him if he was caught sneaking into Shihna's room. They would never listen to his explanations no matter how hard he tried.

He cautiously opened the door, hoping that Shihna was asleep. He paused in the doorway. What would he do if she was awake?

"Zelos?"

Damn.

"I didn't think you'd be up so late," Zelos said, stepping into Shihna's room.

"I should be asking you that...and why you were trying to sneak into my room."

Zelos chuckled nervously. "Well, I uh...I was worried about you, I guess."

"That doesn't sound convincing coming from you," Shihna said, her eyebrows raised.

"Yeah..." Zelos mumbled. "It's the truth though."

"I-Idiot..." Shihna hid herself under the covers.

"You're still sad about Corrine, aren't you?" Zelos asked, sitting on the bed next to her.

"Of course I am," Shihna mumbled, not even bothering to lie about it. "There's no way I wouldn't be."

"Well don't be sad about it for too long. Corrine wouldn't want to see you like this."

"I know..."

"How am I supposed to have a conversation with you if you're going to cover yourself up like that?" Zelos grumbled, trying to pull the blanket away from Shihna.

"I-It's fine! Just leave it!" Shihna protested.

"There's no way it could be fine!" Zelos tugged the blanket away from her. "You..." He stopped. _She's...crying._

"I told you...to just leave it," she muttered. She wiped away the tears hastily. "Eugh...I can't believe I'm letting you see me like this."

"Shihna, I've known you long enough to have seen you at your best and worst," he said, patting her head reassuringly. "You don't have to hold back."

"I-I'm supposed to be the next chief of Mizuho. I can't just break down..." she mumbled in-between sobs. "I can't..."

"Shihna, you're only human," he said, placing one of his hands on her head. "You're allowed to cry."

"B-But I..."

He shushed her gently. "Just cry. You'll feel better."

"You're probably going to laugh at me tomorrow," Shihna protested.

"Do you think I hate you or something?" Zelos demanded. "I think I'd throw myself off a cliff before I'd laugh at you for crying." He sighed, and pulled her into his embrace. "I won't even tell anybody about this, okay?"

"I-idiot."

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Shihna, time to wake up," Zelos mumbled groggily.

"Nnh?" She rolled into his arms.

"I said it's time to wake up."

She opened her eyes to find herself staring at Zelos. "A-Agh! Y-you!" She shot up like a cannon and bolted to the other side of the bed.

"Good morning to you too," he said, chuckling softly.

"Sh-shut up!"

"Is that how you talk to the person that comforted you all night?"

"Yeah, you got a problem with it?"

"Heh. Well, I'm going back to my room. I hope you feel better." He brushed a few strands of hair away from her face.

"Yeah...thanks," she mumbled as he left, shutting the door behind him. She sighed softly. She could still feel Zelos' touch. "What's with me? There's no way I could feel anything for that idiot. I just feel weird because he reassured me." She tried to convince herself that that was the reason why her face was flushed and her heart was beating so fast. "It has to be..."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: I'm sorry for not updating for so long. XD;; I've just been all over the place, but I'm all good now.

Hehehe...Zelos sneaking into Shihna's room. He's always so worried about her. Too bad they're both so bad at expressing their true feelings. Hopefully, they'll be able to show what they're really feeling to each other one day.

I'll add the other chapter I wrote soon. :3 Myaa.


	56. Zzz

* * *

"What time is it?" Shihna asked groggily.

"It's almost nine," Zelos answered from the doorway of her room.

"Why didn't you wake me up?!" Shihna demanded, pushing the covers away.

"I wanted you to sleep in so I did your chores for you," Zelos answered. "You should sleep more. I don't want my beautiful hunny turning into a panda."

"Maybe I should really turn into one so you stop bothering me," she grumbled, turning away from him.

"Noooo," Zelos whined. He jumped into Shihna's bed. "But even if you do, I'll still love you."

"Eugh, you idiot," she growled. "And get out! Just because you did my chores, it doesn't mean you have permission to be in my bed."

"I don't need your permission," Zelos purred. "I'm the Chosen One."

"Ex-Chosen One," Shihna replied. "And if you're not going to leave, I will." She started to crawl over him.

"Nooo." He pulled her on top of him. "Stay here. You need more sleep."

"I'm fine Now let go of me." She tried, unsuccessfully, to squirm out of his grasp.

"No way," he grumbled. "You're staying right here."

"Eugh, you idiot."

"Well, you're going to sleep with this idiot."

"Don't make it sound dirtier than it is!"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Shihna woke up to the sunlight shining through her window. "Hm?"

She noticed that Zelos was still sleeping, one of his arms wrapped around her waist. She carefully pulled it away and climbed over him.

"Where are you going?" Zelos mumbled, rubbing one of his eyes.

"I'm going to make breakfast," she answered. She tugged on a strand of his hair playfully. "I'll call you when it's ready."

"Okay," he murmured. "Oh, wait." He pulled on Shihna's arm just as she was about to leave.

"What?"

He tugged on her arm so her face was right next to his. "Love ya." He kissed her cheek.

"Y-you!" Shihna pulled her arm away. "I-Idiot!" She ran out of the room, her face red with embarassment.

Zelos sighed. "You're so cute."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: I was originally going to post this one last week, but I forgot the binder I left it in at school. D:

Hehehe...Zelos always seems to be invading Shihna's house.


	57. Present for You

* * *

"Hey, the Chosen's birthday is in a few days."

"I know! I'm so excited. What are you going to give him as a present?"

"Oh, I don't know...maybe..."

The girls burst into giggles. "I could die of happiness if he spent the night with me."

"Me too."

_As if he'd spend the night with you_, Shihna thought as she walked by them. _But it's Zelos, so..._

She rang the doorbell hesitantly. The door was opened a few moments later by a happy and energetic Zelos. "Shihna!"

"Hey," she mumbled shyly. His giddyness made her nervous. _I wonder why he's so happy..._

"I've been waiting all day for you!" he exclaimed, pulling her inside.

"Is getting a letter from the king that exciting?" she asked, pulling it out of her pocket.

"No, it's exciting to see _you_," he said, kissing her hand after taking the letter.

"Well, I can't say the same about you," she grumbled, pulling her hand away in disgust.

"Aww, but hunny, I know you secretly love to see me."

"Stop calling me that. And I don't like seeing you every other day at all. If you want to find someone who likes being with you, go find your fanclub. I'm sure they'll be ecstatic at the thought of keeping you company."

"Mm? You seem unusually cranky. Did you overhear something as you were walking here?"

"Just something about spending the night with you," she growled, trying to make it sound like it was no big deal, but she failed to do so.

"I didn't think you'd be jealous about a comment like that," he answered, hiding an amused smile.

"I'm not _jealous_," she protested.

"Oh, really? You sure _look_ jealous."

"Well, I'm not! Now, I'm going to g-"

"Mmm, not yet," he purred, pulling her into his arms. "You don't need to worry, hunny. You're the only one that I want as company at night."

"Sh-shut up! I don't want to spend the night with you! Ever!"

"Heh, your face is red," he teased her, poking her cheek playfully. "Don't worry. I won't do anything you don't want..."

"I don't even want to be in bed with you! Now let me go!"

"Okay, okay," he sighed, releasing her. "Hey, uh...what are you doing on my birthday?" He shuffled his feet nervously.

_What's with his sudden change in attitude?_ Shihna wondered. "I don't know. I'll be doing the usual things I guess."

"Oh," he said. She couldn't tell if he was disappointed or not. "Well, if you're not too busy, stop by, okay? It wouldn't feel right to have my birthday without you."

"Don't you remember what happened the last time I came to one of your birthday parties?"

"Come after, then. I'll make sure it ends early. I don't even like most of the people that are coming anyway."

"Being the Chosen One must be painful for you," Shihna said, softening a little. _It always has been..._

"Ex-Chosen now, but it still sucks..."

"I'll show up when the party's over...and I'll bring a present too."

"Thanks," he mumbled. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. This time, Shihna didn't pull away.

"I-I better go," she stuttered. She backed away and opened the door. "I'll see you in a few days."

"See ya," he answered, closing the door behind her. He sighed and leaned against the door. "If only I could spend my birthday with just you..."

-0-0-0-0-0-

"What should I get Zelos for his birthday?" Shihna wondered. How was she going to get him something that he didn't already have? He was the person that supposedly had _everything_. "I shouldn't have said that I'd give him a present."

She poured tea for herself. _What would Zelos want?..._

_"You're the only one that I want as company at night."_

She almost spilled tea all over the table. "Th-that idiot! There's no way I'd give him myself as a present."

It was at that moment that a brilliant idea came into her mind.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Phew, they're finally gone," Zelos sighed, flopping down on his couch.

"Would you like a glass of water, Master Zelos?" Sebastian asked.

"No thanks. I'm just going to stay here and sleep for a couple million years."

"Very well, sir." Sebastian turned to leave. At that moment, the doorbell rang.

"That must be Shihna!" Zelos exclaimed, jumping up and running to answer the door. Sebastian chuckled.

"Shihna, hunny," he purred, pulling her into the house like he did a few days before. "I'm so glad you're here."

"I can tell," she grumbled, following him into the living room. She noticed the presents that were piled on the coffee table and the floor. "Maybe I shouldn't have gotten you a present..."

"Don't be silly! Your present is worth more than all of theirs put together," he protested.

"You haven't even seen what it is yet!"

"It doesn't matter. I know you put more thought into it than anyone else did."

"I just made it last minute. It's really no big deal," she mumbled.

"But you worked hard on it, didn't you?" He pulled the present out of the bag. For a moment, he just stared at it blankly. "This..."

"I thought about what you said the other day," Shihna explained, her face reddening.

"Heh heh, you know this isn't as good as the real thing, right?"

"Well, that's all you're getting."

"Better than nothing, I guess." He smiled at the plushie she had made for him. "It's amazing how you made this in such a short time period."

"Yeah...Orochi's going to yell at me when he realizes how much work I've actually done."

"Heh. You even have all the details...except for the size of your che-"

"I'll hit you!" Shihna growled after slapping him in the face.

"Ow! Don't say that after you hit me!"

"Eugh, I shouldn't have gotten you anything."

"Aw, don't say that." He hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Shihna," he whispered.

"Y-you're welcome," she mumbled. She wasn't sure if she should hug him or not.

"I love you."

"I lo-" She stopped herself. _I can't believe I almost said that..._

"Hmm? What were you going to say?"

"Nothing!" she exclaimed. "I wasn't going to say anything!" She was glad that he couldn't see how red her face was.

"Mm...okay."

"H-how long are you going to hug me anyway?!" Shihna demanded, trying to push him away.

"Forever," he purred.

"I-idiot!"

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: OwO Birthday chappy! It was my Zelos' birthday last week. Heh heh. I also wanted to write something where it's Zelos' birthday because I already have a few for Shihna.

I should've updated this last week, but I didn't have the time. DX;; But it's done so it's all good. :3

Zelos is a little different than usual, I guess. XD;; I wanted to put a little bit of Scaffy's personality into it this time. I'm not sure if I did a good job of that though. XD;;

This is dedicated to Scaff, my wonderful Zelos. XD Happy belated birthday, sexy. I loooove yooou. :3


	58. Saving You

* * *

"Shihna?"

"What is it, Corrine?" she asked, checking her bag for the third time to see if she had everything.

"Are you really sure that you want to do this?" "This" was travelling to the other world, Sylvarant, to kill their Chosen of Mana.

"Yeah, I'm sure," she answered, trying to sound confident. To be honest, the idea scared her out of her wits. She would be travelling to Sylvarant with only Corrine as her companion. And if she failed...Tethe'alla would perish. _There's too much to lose..._

"You're doing this for _him_, aren't you?" Corrine demanded, twitching his tail in annoyance.

Him? Oh...him. Right.

Tethe'alla's Chosen. Zelos Wilder. He was constantly annoying her with his perverted comments, and his selfish attitude. _But he wasn't always like that,_ she remembered. It was only a little after...after they broke up. Before, he had actually cared about more than just himself. Before, he was nice to her. _Before, before, before. _That was all in the past. Now all he did was flirt, and waste gald frivolously, as if he didn't know that people were starving on the streets. The thought that this mission would save his life almost made her want to fail it on purpose.

"N-no," she stuttered.

Okay, she actually liked him more than that. She didn't want him to die. He was more important than that. They were...friends. Sure, they had both changed so much and the distance between them had grown so much, but...

Part of her still loved him.

Shihna hated that. Why did it end up this way? Hehad hurt her in so many ways, yet she still loved him. She _hated _loving him, but she still did. A little part of her wanted him to love her back, but she knew that he had been playing with her the whole time. Her emotions were his playthings. He had played with them until they broke, and then he left them there to find something better.

"You don't sound very sure about that," Corrine remarked.

"I am!" she protested. "I wouldn't do anything for that idiot!"

"Hmm..."

"Well, I'm ready," Shihna said, picking up her bag. "Let's go, Corrine."

"Okay!" He hopped onto Shihna's shoulder.

_I'll do this to save Tethe'alla..._she thought. _And him too..._

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Blegh, the ending just kind of...died on me. DX

And I should really catch up on my updating. XD;; I've been spending too much time playing ToS: KoR. (Or DotNW, if you prefer it that way...) I'm kind of disappointed with it, but I like Alice and Decus. XD;;


	59. The Way We Usually Are

* * *

"The king always seems to pick the worst days for me to come here," Zelos muttered to himself. He brushed a strand of wet hair away from his face. He was supposed to deliver a message to Shihna, but he had gotten caught in the rain. "Shihna better have tea ready." He felt a little warmer thinking about Shihna serving him tea. _Just like a housewife... _He ran towards Shihna's house, eagar to get out of the rain. He knocked on her door impatiently.

"That must be Zelos," Shihna mumbled, getting up drowsily. Training had been more difficult this morning. She couldn't seem to gather enough energy to do much. "Coming," she grumbled when he knocked again. She slid the door open.

"Hey Shihna," Zelos said cheerfully.

"Hey," she mumbled.

"You okay, hunny? You're not looking too good."

"Yeah, I'm fine..." she replied, but she collapsed onto the floor as soon as the words escaped her mouth.

"Shihna!" Zelos closed the door behind him, and bent down next to her. "Geez, your forehead's hot," he muttered when he placed his hand on her forehead. "Well, I guess the great Zelos will take care of you," he said, picking her up bridal style.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Mm...what?" Shihna mumbled. She realized that she was lying in a futon. She blinked a few times to adjust her eyes to the light.

"You passed out earlier," Zelos said. He adjusted the cold towel he head placed on her forehead. "What have you been doing lately?"

"Working on stuff," she answered softly.

"Working too _much_, obviously."

"Well, that's partly your fault, isn't it?" she growled.

"Sorry," Zelos mumbled. "I shouldn't have made you the emissary of peace."

"Well, you can't change that now..."

He stroked her hair gently. "I'm sorry."

"Stop that," Shihna said. "You're starting to sound like Collet."

"Sorry," he said jokingly. "Do you need anything?"

"Well, I'm kind of cold," she answered, pulling the blanket closer to her.

"I'll be right back," Zelos said, leaving her room. He returned with another blanket, and placed it over her. "Better?"

"Not really."

"Hmm..."

Zelos crawled into the futon with her. "How 'bout this?"

"W-What?! Y-you..." She blushed hotly. "Idiot..."

He wrapped his arms around her. "I'll stay with you until you fall asleep."

"O-Okay..."

_He's so warm..._she thought, as she snuggled closer. "You smell nice," she mumbled.

He chuckled softly. "What do I smell like?" he asked.

"Rain, peppermint...and something else," she mumbled.

"Something else?"

"I don't know," she answered. "But I like it..."

_I guess I should wear this cologne more often._ "Man, you sound get sick more often," he said. "You're cuddlier this way."

"Sh-Shut up..."

"Shh...go to sleep." He curled some of her hair around his fingers. "I'll have something cooked for you when you wake up."

"Okay..." she murmured. She felt strangely safe and comfortable in his arms. _Why can't we always be like this? _she wondered. Zelos was always so loud and obnoxious. He didn't seem to care about anybody other than himself most of the time, but...

She stared at him intensely.

"What?" he asked, a quizzical expression on his face.

"I think it's a little strange that you're being so nice to me," she answered, poking him in the nose.

"Is it really that weird?" he grumbled, rubbing his nose. "I just care about you, that's all."

"But that's still weird coming from you," Shihna said. "You barely ever care about anybody other than yourself."

"Do I really look like that much of an asshole?"

"Yes, you do actually."

"That makes me angry," he growled, pinning her under him playfully. "But I really care about you, Shihna. So get better soon."

"I-I will..." she murmured.

"Well, I should go cook something for you. You'll never sleep if I stay with you." He rolled out of the futon, and tucked her in, pulling the blanket up to her chin.

"W-wait," she stuttered.

"Hmm?"

"I'm still cold."

Zelos laughed softly. "Here," he said, putting his hand on her head. "First aid."

Shihna felt a warm current flow through her. "Thanks," she mumbled.

"You're welcome, my darling hunny. Now get some sleep."

"I told you so many times...not to call me that..."she murmured as her eyes drooped.

"Hush," he whispered. "Go to sleep, my wonderful princess..."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Awake already, your Highness?"

"Mmm?" Shihna mumbled, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"Do you want to eat?" Zelos asked, looking down at her.

"Sure," she replied. She tried to sit up, but she collapsed back onto the futon.

"Here," Zelos said, laughing softly. He pulled her up gently.

"I'll go get your food." He got up, and walked into the kitchen. "I'm not sure if you'll like it though. I'm not that good at cooking," he said from the kitchen.

"It can't be worse than the professor's cooking," she answered.

"True," Zelos said, chuckling. "In your current condition, it could kill you."

"I would prefer a less painful death."

"Heh, I wouldn't let you die that easily," he said sitting down next to her with a bowl of chicken noodle soup in his hands. "Here, I'll feed you."

"I can feed myself!" Shihna exclaimed. She could feel her cheeks get warmer.

"You can barely sit up straight," Zelos pointed out. "Just think of it as a special service from the wonderful ex-Chosen of Tethe'alla."

"I don't want your service," Shihna retorted.

"Well, you're getting it. Now eat," he commanded.

Shihna sighed, and opened her mouth obediently.

Heh heh. This makes great practice for when we have kids," he said, grinning.

"K-kids?!" she sputtered. "I'm not having any kids with you!"

"But it would be proof of our eternal love," he whined.

"What love, you stupid Chosen?"

"There you go again, being all embarassed and denying it. Everybody knows that you're in love with me."

"Who the hell would fall in love with you?!"

"You, of course. Now, quiet hunny. You're awfully loud for a sick person," he scolded her gently. He held the spoon up to her mouth. "Eat."

"I-idiot..."

"I love you too, baby."

"Sh-shut up!"

"Open wiiiide."

"Urgh..."

He continued to feed her despite her protests until the bowl was empty.

"Do you want more?"

"No thanks," she mumbled. She was feeling sleepy again.

"Then I'll go put this awa-" He started to get up, but he froze. "Hmm?" Zelos looked down at Shihna. She was leaning against his shoulder.

"Can I stay like this for a little while?"

"Of course, darling," he murmured softly. He settled back down on the floor.

Shihna moved closer, resting her head against his neck. She wanted to memorize how it felt. She wanted to memorize how it felt; his scent, how warm he was...everything. She knew that this moment wouldn't last, and they would return to how they usually were.

"You're thinking about our usual habits, aren't you?" he mumbled.

"Why can't you be like this more often?" she grumbled.

"Because you push me away when I try to get closer to you, but if I sit still and wait, you come to me eventually. Besides, I think you would get bored if I was always like this," he answered.

"Mmm," she murmured. "It's really comfortable though."

"Well, you can cuddle with me any time. I won't complain."

"I-idiot." She pulled away.

"Go back to sleep," Zelos commanded. He helped her lay down before picking up the bowl, and standing up. "I'll be right here, watching over you."

"Okay..." She could already feel her eyelids drooping. "Thanks for taking care of me," she mumbled, drifting off to sleep.

"You're welcome, hunny."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Orochi?" Shihna mumbled.

"So you've finally decided to wake up," Orochi answered, trying to hide the amusement in his voice.

"How long have I been sleeping?"

"About four hours," he replied.

She shot up suddenly. "Where's Zelos?"

"He told me to take care of you, and then he left."

"Oh..." She tried to keep her face neutral so Orochi wouldn't get suspicious.

"He told me to tell you that he's sorry, but he had something really important to do."

"Oh," she said, a smile lighting up her face.

"He said that he'd come back later," he continued.

"Okay."

"I see that you like the Chosen much more than you used to."

"W-What?! Of course not!" Shihna blushed in embarassment.

"You don't have to deny it," he said. "You used to complain about him all the time."

"I still do," she retorted.

"But you say those things about him fondly. You're not always mad at him like you used to."

"Well, I could still be mad at him!"

"Shihna, I've known you for a long time. I know when you're angry at someone."

"Eugh, I hate arguing with you," she groaned.

"Well, I'll leave you alone now," Orochi said, getting up. "Do you need anything?"

"No," she mumbled. "Thanks, Orochi."

"You're welcome, Shihna."

_"Thanks for taking care of me."_

_"You're welcome, hunny."_

Shihna felt warmer, remembering how Zelos took care of her. "Argh! What am I doing? He's just a friend. I don't feel anything for him!" She got out of the futon, and folded the blanket up neatly. "I can't just sit here, and look forward to him showing up." She looked around the room frantically, trying to think of something to do.

"Talking to yourself again, hunny?" She felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her waist.

"G-Gah! When did you get here?!"

"Just now," Zelos replied, burying his face into her neck. "Did you miss me?"

"N-No!" she stuttered.

"Hmm? But with the way you were talking with yourself..."

"That wasn't-"

"I don't feel anything for him," Zelos squeaked, imitating Shihna's voice. "I can't just sit here, and look forward to him showing up."

Shihna froze.

"You're always denying your feelings for me..."

"Sh-shut up."

"Do you want to know why I left so suddenly?" he asked softly.

"Not really," she grumbled. "I do want you to let me go though."

Zelos pulled a small box out of his pocket. "Here," he said, ignoring her request.

"What?"

"It's for you."

She took the box from him hesitantly, slightly afraid of what might be in the box. She held her breath as she opened it.

"...A ring?" she gasped, letting out her breath.

"Yeah, I had to go pick it up while you were sleeping..."

"And what do you mean by this?" she mumbled.

"I'm wondering if you'll let me take care of you for the rest of your life, and if we could spend our time together the way that we usually are."

"Really?" She felt her cheeks get warmer.

"Yes, gorgeous," he purred.

"Well, you could stop calling me those vulgar nicknames of yours," she grumbled.

"Mm? Is that a yes or a no?" he asked.

"I guess...I'll accept," she mumbled.

"I'll make sure that you don't regret that decision," he purred, sliding the ring onto her finger. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah..."

"That's good," he murmured. "Do you love me?"

"Sometimes."

"Only sometimes?"

"Well, I deny it most of the time," Shihna mumbled, her face reddening slightly.

"So you _do _love me all the time."

"I-idiot."

"Ah, more words of affection," he purred. "I'd kiss you, but I don't want to catch your cold."

"Eugh, you pervert."

"How is it perverted to kiss you? I just want to show my affection for you," he murmured. He hugged her tighter. "I could show my affection for you in another way too, if you know what I mean." He played with her hair, smiling seductively.

"N-no way!" Shihna squeaked. "W-W-We can't just..."

"I know," Zelos said. "I was just kidding. I'll wait until our wedding night."

"O-Okay," she mumbled.

"Or we could do it before. I don't mind."

"Stupid..."

"Thank you."

"Argh! I wasn't complimenting you!"

"It doesn't matter what you say. I'm happy just hearing your voice."

"W-Well, I'm not going to talk to you any more."

"Aww, don't be like that."

And they returned to how they usually were.

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Whoa, that oneshot morphed a lot. XD;; Taking care of Shihna turned into "Marry me!" And the ending just...blegh. D: But Merry Christmas everyone! (Even though it's late...)

I'll be updating later today too. :3


	60. Christmas

* * *

"Are you sure it's okay to be leaving your sister all alone on Christmas?" Shihna asked, rubbing her hands together to keep them warm. A few hours earlier, Zelos had invited her to his house. That eventually led to her having a conversation with him outside of his room.

"I visited Seles in the morning," Zelos answered. "And she told me to spend Christmas with you."

"Hmm...that's strange."

"What's even stranger is that I agreed," Zelos said, chuckling.

"Well, you didn't _have _to invite me over," she growled. "It would've been a great Christmas present for me if I didn't have to see you at all."

"So cold," he mumbled. "But you didn't have to come here, you know."

"I-I felt sorry for you," she stuttered. A blush crept across her face against her will.

"You sure you haven't fallen in love with me again?" Zelos asked, leaning against the balcony.

"That's ridiculous," she mumbled.

"Oh, really?"

Suddenly Zelos' face was inches away from hers. "Y-Yeah," she murmured, trying to pull away. She backed up into the balcony.

"Admit it. You still love me even after what happened between us because of the Church of Martel."

"I loved the old Zelos, not you," she said softly. She was afraid to look into his eyes.

"I see." She shivered at the tone of his voice. He just sounded so...scary.

Zelos turned away from her. "What was he like?"

"Huh?"

"The old me."

"Well," she mumbled, shuffling her feet nervously. "He was kind and brave...and he wasn't a pervert." She stopped for a moment, trying to catch her breath. She had forgotten to breathe normally as she was talking about how Zelos used to be. It just scared her too much. _He could pick me up and throw me off the balcony if he wanted to._

"Go on," Zelos mumbled.

"He wasn't shallow, and he seemed to actually care about me. He..." Shihna felt tears fill her eyes. She tried to hold them back, but a few escaped. "He wasn't selfish. He cared about other people more than himself, and he just..." The tears kept on flowing. "I-I loved him..." she squeaked.

Zelos pulled her into his arms. "He loved you too," he whispered. "And the Zelos that replaced him does too."

"Idiot," she said in-between sobs.

"I'm sorry."

"Saying that you're sorry doesn't make things better."

"There's not much more that I can say to make you feel better, Shihna," he murmured.

"I'm so scared that I'm going to lose you again," Shihna sniffled. "It scared me so much last time."

"I know. I'm sorry," he said, hugging her tighter. "But I promise that I'll make you love me again, and this time I'll make sure that you never fall out of it."

"Really?"

"Of course," Zelos murmured. "I'll make you love the current me more than the old one."

"You sound confident."

"That's because I am confident."

"It won't be easy," Shihna purred.

"I think my goal's already half accomplished," he said, smiling. "You-" He stopped.

"Hmm?" Shihna looked up. "Snow..."

"Yeah," Zelos muttered.

"It still bothers you, doesn't it?"

"Not as much as it used to," he answered. "I have you to comfort me."

"S-stupid. I'm not good at that kind of thing," she muttered.

"You're more comforting than you think," he stated, tilting her head up with his hand. "Especially if you give me a kiss..." He moved closer.

Shihna placed one of her hands over his mouth. "No," she said. "You haven't won me over yet." She pulled away from him, and ran towards the door. "Let's go inside. I'm cold."

"Alright." Zelos chased after her. "Wait for me," he whined.

"No way," Shihna called back to him, laughing.

"Argh, I'll catch you!" He shut the door behind him and pounced, pinning her onto his bed.

"H-hey!" Shihna exclaimed. "Get off!"

"Merry Christmas, Shihna," Zelos purred.

"Argh," she grunted. "I told you to get off!"

"No," he whined. "I won't get off until you tell me that you love me."

"That's unfair!" Shihna growled.

"Everything's fair in love and war, gorgeous."

"Well, if that's the case..."

"Hmm?"

Suddenly Zelos found himself lying under Shihna. "Wh-What? How?"

"Merry Christmas, you stupid Chosen."

"What? You're not going to tell me how you did that?!"

"It's a secret."

"Meanie."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Merry Christmas! (Belated...) Hehehe...I wrote an angsty Christmas special. XD;; It got more cheerful near the end though. :3


	61. Nap

* * *

"Zelos, I'm sleepy," Shihna mumbled.

"Hmm?" Zelos looked up from the book he was reading.

"I'm sleepy," she repeated, snuggling closer to him on the couch.

"Do you want to use me as a pillow?" he asked, sliding his arm around her shoulders.

"Well...I guess I will," she murmured. She yawned, and leaned against him. "You're so warm."

"Mmm...you're soft," he answered, toying with her hair.

"Leave my hair alone," she growled softly, swatting his hand away.

"Sorry," he mumbled. He kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams, Shihna."

"Nighty night," she murmured, her eyes drooping.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Why, hello there, Sleeping Beauty," Zelos mumbled. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mmm," she answered, stretching out her arms. She noticed that someone had placed a blanket over her. "You stayed here the whole time?"

"Well, of course I did. It's not every day that I get the opportunity to be your pillow."

"Weren't you bored?" she asked, snuggling closer.

"Nope. I was reading the whole time. Besides, I'd never get bored of watching you sleep." _She doesn't need to know that I only spent half the time reading my book, and the other half watching her._

"You're weird," she mumbled, her face flushing.

"Not as weird as you," Zelos retorted. "You seem to have multiple personalities, hitting me one moment and cuddling with me the next."

"Well, if you would stop flirting with other girls, I wouldn't have to hit you!"

"I only talk to them to make them go away. Is that a crime? And you know that you're the only one that I give service to at ni-"

"Wh-What?! Sh-shut up!" she exclaimed. "W-We haven't even...We...I..." Her face got even redder.

"How about tonight, gorgeous?" he whispered seductively, blowing on her ear.

"Ack!" She pulled away from him, covering her ear. "S-S-Stay away, you pervert!"

"Well, you've already slept with me in a literal sense, so why not in a figurative sense?"

"No way!" Shihna squealed, hiding under the blanket.

Zelos chuckled softly. "I'm just kidding. You know that I wouldn't do anything to you unless you wanted me to."

"I'm not sure if I can actually believe that statement," she grumbled, glaring at him from under the blanket.

"Of course you can," he answered, winking at her.

And she knew...that she could.

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Happy belated Valentine's Day! :3

Sorry for such a long delay. I've been busy...and I still am. D: Making free art for people....Blergh.

And I shall update again soon. I just need to find the time to do it. XD


	62. Eternally

* * *

"Shiiiiihna!" Zelos exclaimed, flopping next to the (extremely annoyed) raven-haired ninja on their king-sized canopy bed.

"Was that necessary?" Shihna grumbled, looking up from the book that she was reading.

"Mm, what are you reading?" he asked, ignoring her question. He craned his neck to see the title of the book.

"N-Nothing!" She turned away from him.

"Lemme see," he demanded, reaching for the book.

"No way!" She tried to hold the book away from him, but he snatched it out of her hand.

"Eeeeh? Shihna likes reading cheesy romance novels?" he exclaimed.

"I-I just thought it would be interesting! I don't like reading this kind of stuff. I was just in the library and it was-"

"Maybe Shihna wishes that our relationship was like this book?" he teased, nudging her playfully.

"N-N-No!"

"Oh well," he sighed. He placed the book on the table. "So, uhm...is there anything that you want to give to me today?" he asked.

"Hmm? Why are you asking me that?" Shihna asked.

"Well because today...it's..."

"Today is?..."

"Valentine's Day, hunny! Don't tell me you forgot!" he whined.

"Oh, it's Valentine's Day today?"

"You _did _forget!" he cried. "I can't believe you!"

"I'm just kidding," she said. "I got something for you." She opened a drawer in the table next to the bed, and pulled out a box. "Here."

"I wonder what it is," he purred. He opened the box slowly. "It's...a pocket watch?"

"Yeah...I uhmm...our names are carved into the cover," Shihna mumbled.

"Uh huh...I already have a pocket watch though, darling."

"I-It's because whenever you check the time you can be reminded that I'm always with you no matter what," she said quickly.

"Eh?"

"S-Sorry. I guess that was a stupid idea. I'll get you something else next time..."

"No! Not at all!" he exclaimed. "I'm sorry! I had no idea you put so much thought into that." He hugged her tightly. "I love you sooooo much."

"I don't know why _I _love you at all," she grumbled.

"It's because you think I'm irresistably sexy," he said.

"Pfft. As if."

"Well, you married me, didn't you?" he teased.

"Sh-shut up."

"See? I'm right."

"J-just shut up, you idiot."

"Okay..." he murmured, playing with her hair. "I'll always love you, you know that?"

"...I know."

"And I'll always be with you."

"Always?"

"Until the end of time."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Sorry for the late update! DX My laptop cord DIED. It went up in smoke and refused to function so I had to get it fixed. (Yes, there was smoke. XD;; )

Shihna's so sweet. Hehehehe. It makes me want to give her a big hug. (So I'll hug myself, I suppose.)

I'll be updating more next week! :3


	63. You're Prettier When You Smile

* * *

She stared at the knife in her hand, its blade shining in the light of the full moon. Part of her wanted to do this, but the other told her "No, don't do this. You'll regret it."

But what did she have to lose? What was the point of her staying in this world? All she caused was pain and suffering. She had failed so many times. She failed to protect those that she loved most...failed to make up for it...

She even failed to protect Corrine, who had died to save _her._

She was so stupid. It was all her fault. All her fault...

The image of Kuchinawa telling her "You don't deserve to live," invaded her head.

She didn't deserve to live. Not at all. What was the point of living if all she did was destroy other people's happiness?

Shihna's hand shook as she placed the blade against her wrist. It was funny how she had almost used this knife to kill Collet, but now she was going to use it on herself. She started to sob, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. "Argh, why can't I just get this over with?..."

She heard a soft knock on her door. She didn't respond, hoping that whoever it was would go away. The person on the other side knocked again, pausing to listen for a response, but was only greeted by silence. The person waited a few moments longer, and decided to open the door.

"Shihna?"

Zelos.

He was the last person she wanted to see, the person that constantly drove her over the edge. It surprised her that she hadn't gone totally insane earlier on this journey. But that didn't matter now. She had finally snapped. All of his sexual innuendos, and idiotic comments, his annoying tendency to place his arm on her shoulders...

His laughter, his perfect smile...

None of that mattered.

"Are you okay? I heard something so I came to check on you. You-" The red-headed Chosen stopped, and noticed that she was clutching in her hand. His face immediately darkened. "What are you doing?" he demanded. He didn't even bother to wait for an answer. "I can't believe this, Shihna. Have you lost your mind? I won't let you do such a stupid thing!" He lunged forward, and struggled to pull the knife out of her hand.

"Let go, Zelos! Leave me alone!"

"And do what? Leave you here to die? No way!"

"But I want to, Zelos! There's no point in me being here. I-"

The knife clattered to the floor.

"You're so stupid, Shihna!" Zelos engulfed her in a tight hug. "Do you honestly believe that we'd be _happy _if you died? Nobody in this group wants to see somebody suffer any more. We don't want to see any more people die. That includes _you_, damn it! We don't want to lose you. _I _don't want to lose you!"

"...Eh?"

"If you're feeling down, then talk to one of us about it. We'll listen to you, and try to help as much as we can, okay? There's no need for you to take your own life. That'd just be..."

_Something that I've considered doing..._

"It'd be stupid," he continued. "We're all here for you, okay? I'm here for you..."

Shihna started to cry again, as she listened to his comforting words. She couldn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. _They were here for me this entire time..._

"Just let it all out, Shihna. Cry all you like. I won't laugh or make fun of you," he murmured. He rubbed her back reassuringly. She sobbed harder into his shirt. "Good girl."

She wasn't sure how long she sat there crying in his arms. She just knew that at some point she had fallen asleep. "Nnh?" A blanket had been placed over her, and a note was sitting on the table next to the bed.

_"I hope you're feeling better. I'll hold onto your knife until I trust you to not use it on yourself. Smile a little more, k? You look prettier when you do._

_Zelos."_

"That idiot," she mumbled. "He can't possibly think that a stupid note like that is going to cheer me up again..." Despite what she said, a smile started to light her face.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"You're welcome, darling."

"Ack!" Shihna fell off the bed in surprise. "Y-You! What are you doing here?!" she exclaimed, pointing at the red-headed Chosen that was standing in her doorway.

"I came to wake you up, but I see that you already have. You better hurry up and get ready. Everybody else is waiting," he answered.

"Okay," she said, trying to untangle herself out of the blanket. "Oh..umm...did you talk to the other about what happened last night?"

"No. Do you want me to?"

"N-no. I think it's better if they don't know..."

"Alright. I won't tell," Zelos said.

"Thanks," Shihna mumbled. "Now get out of my room. I'm going to change."

"Ooh. That's the perfect reason for me _not_ to leave," he purred, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"You _pervert_!" Shihna growled, grabbing her pillow and throwing it in his face.

"Oomph! Alright, alright! I'm sorry! I'll leave!" he whined. He closed the door behind him as he left.

"Idiot." She looked at the note that she was still clutching in her hand. "You always seem to know how to cheer me up..."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: I'm exploding! All over the place! Kaboom! Kabaaam!

...No seriously. I am. My schedule's gone nuts. My brain's fried. I want to light my piano on fire.

Putting that aside...

Sorry for not updating last week. D: I was just...busy. Insane. Losing my mind. Rooar. But I shall update more soon because I have a pile of oneshots that aren't typed out yet.

It was weird writing this one. Very few people have written about Shihna being extremely depressed. It was kind of hard to write...because sometimes I feel the way that she did in this chapter. XD;; I hope it turned out good though.

I _prooooomise _that I'll update more soon.


	64. Good Enough

* * *

"Have you heard?"

"What?"

"The Chosen..."

"I heard he's been...."

"...Hasn't left the house for days."

Shihna felt a bizarre, creepy-crawly feeling overcome her as she walked down the streets of Meltokio. _The sound of their voices makes me feel uneasy every time I hear them. And what's this about Zelos?..._

"He seems to be very sick."

"I heard that he's probably not going to make it..."

_What?_

She started walking faster towards his house. _It's a lie, isn't it? _She rang the doorbell. "Isn't it?" she whispered to herself.

"Miss Shihna," Sebastian greeted her as he opened the door. "I expect that you're here to see Master Zelos?"

She nodded. "I-Is he...?" She couldn't find the words to finish the sentence.

"He's been feeling better," Sebastian replied. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

"...Yeah," she mumbled. She slipped off her boots and started walking up the stairs, feeling slightly reluctant at each step. _What's wrong with me? It's not like I don't want to see him or anything. It's no big deal. _She took a deep breathe as she opened the door. "Zelos?"

She peered into the room cautiously. "Zelos?..." she repeated. _Oh. _Her face reddened slightly when she realized that he was sleeping. She tiptoed into the room cautiously. He was...paler than usual. She placed her hand on his forehead. _He has a fever..._

She sat down on the chair that was conveniently set up next to the bed, and took his hand, surprised at how cold it was. She gripped his hand tightly. "Zelos, I'm not sure if you can hear me, but...please get better," Shihna mumbled. Oh, what the hell was she thinking, talking to an unconscious Zelos like this? She felt embarassed, sitting there and asking him to get better as if it would make any difference. "I-I...I won't like you any more if you don't," she mumbled. _What kind of nonsense am I spouting off?! _Tears started to fill her eyes, even though she couldn't understand why. Okay, she did. She was worried. Worried that Zelos wasn't going to get better. Worried that he wasn't going to wake up...

She was _scared. _

She was scared that he would...disappear. "Please wake up," she whispered. She rested her head on his chest. "I'll stay with you forever. Just...please, wake up."

"Shihna?" Zelos blinked in surprise. "What's wrong?"

"Y-You idiot. I was worried about you so I..."

"Did you hear some rumor about me dying or something?" he chuckled softly.

"Eh? Well, yeah but..." Shihna's face reddened.

"I just caught a bad cold, that's all," he said. "Though I'm kind of happy that they blew it out of proportion. It made you worried enough to pay me a visit."

"You dummy," she grumbled.

"I should be calling you that for believing those rumors," Zelos teased, messing up Shihna's hair playfully. "The great Zelos can't die that easily."

"You're not great, you're just stupid."

"Insults sound like compliments when they come from your mouth, hunny," he said cheerfully.

"Mmm," she whined. "Why do you always have to tease me like that?" She jabbed him in the cheek with her fist.

"Ooow. Careful, hun. I'm _sick_, you know."

"You don't deserve my sympathy," she retorted.

"Hey, Shihna. I'm feeling a little cold so if you don' mind, could you...?"

"Could I, what?"

"Get in bed with me?" he mumbled.

"What?" Shihna lifted her head and studied his face. _He's not serious is he?_

"I don't mean it in a perverted way. I just...It's been a while since I've been able to cuddle with you." His face reddened, and Shihna knew it wasn't from his fever.

"F-Fine."

Shihna nervously slid under the covers next to Zelos. When was the last time she did this? Snuggling next to him like this...It was just so natural. How come she was always so unwilling to be affectionate? He was always so open about love. He was constantly begging for hugs and kisses, but she was so reluctant to give them. Sure, he was always making perverted comments about her, but...

But he loved her.

Shihna rolled over, and hugged him tightly, burrowing her face against his neck. "Zelos?"

"Yes, darling?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"For what?"

"You're always so affectionate, but I'm so mean to you..."

"You dummy. That's part of your charm," Zelos snickered. "I like that part of you. It makes the affectionate part of you even sweeter."

Damn him for always being so good with words.

"I don't see how getting trampled on by me is such a pleasant thing for you," Shihna grumbled.

"It's the fact that it's _you _trampling all over me that makes it pleasant."

"How can you stand it though?..."

"Because I love you enough to be able to," he answered without even pausing to think. "Really, Shihna. I thought you would know the answer to that question."

"Geez, you stupid Chosen," she sniffled. "I didn't think I mattered _that much_ to you."

"Agh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't make you cry on your..." Zelos paused. "Oh, right."

"Hmm?"

"Today's your birthday, and I've been so sick I haven't been able to go out and get you a present," he said. "Oh, hunny...I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry. It's not big deal."

"But it's your birthday! It only comes one day of the year," he whined.

"It's fine."

"Well, right now it's more like it's _my _birthday. I get the rare opportunity to have Shihna in my bed with me."

"Y-You idiot. That's good enough of a present for me too, you know!"

"Oh, what's this? You consider being in bed with me a good present?" he asked.

"Er, well...That's not..."

"Well, I don't mind being in bed with you every day from now on if you want," he said.

"G-Gah, no way! Today's special! I don't want to sleep with you every night!" Shihna exclaimed, pulling away from him.

"Well, you will be eventually," he snickered. "You're planning on marrying me, aren't you?"

"W-Well...until then...." she stammered.

"Fine. Just today then." He pulled her into his arms again. "Happy birthday, Shihna," he whispered.

-0-0-0-0-

"Ah-choo!" Shihna sneezed loudly. "Euugh..."

"I guess you caught that cold from me," Zelos mumbled guiltily.

"I shouldn't have visited you," she growled. She wrapped herself in a cocoon of blankets. "It's all your fault."

"Mm, sorry," he said. "But really Shihna...it's not like I kissed you or anything."

"Shut up."

"Interesting isn't it? A few days ago you were visiting me, and now I'm visiting you," he snickered.

"Leave me alone," she growled.

"Do you want me to use my body heat to get rid of your fever?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"No thanks."

Zelos ignored her, and snuggled up next to her. "You're so adorable."

"Go away." She rolled away from him. "I want to sleep."

"Mm, that's no fair. You slept with me in _my _bed," Zelos whined.

"Th-that was...Don't make it sound worse than it is!"

"Love you too," he whimpered.

"I-Idiot..."

"Can't I get an 'I love you' to make me feel better?"

He was greeted with silence. "Please?"

"I-I love you," she stammered, and buried her head under the covers. "You stupid Chosen."

"Mm, good enough I suppose. Sleep well, darling."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: HOLY CRAP. I almost forgot to finish this. XD;;

I'm going to Japan early tomorrow morning so I thought it'd be nice to finally update. (But then I totally forgot...)

So I'm sorry if the ending is somewhat messed up. I shall come back and fix it if I find the time. But for now enjoy this fluffy thing that is Shihna's angsty birthday.


	65. One More Chance

* * *

It occured to Zelos that if he was asked if the godess Martel existed, he would say yes, not because he was the Chosen or because he truly believed what the church told him, but because of...her.

There had to be some greater force out there beyond his understanding because obviously it had the good sense to create the person who was always on his mind. She was beautiful, so beautiful that he wasn't sure if she really belonged to the world that they lived in. She was just so...perfect. That force also had the good sense to make sure that she was impossible to reach.

Because he would break her heart.

...He did break her heart.

"Zelos, I'm making curry for dinner tonight. Is that okay?"

He looked up to see the person he was just thinking about. "Oh, uhm...yeah. That's fine," he answered.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just thinking about stuff, that's all."

"Alright," she said, as she started to walk away. "You can always talk to me or Lloyd if you're worried about something, okay?"

"Mm."

That was always how they were...her trying to understand him better only for him to push her away. But he had to. He had to or else he would hurt her beyond repair.

But as she walked away, all he wanted to do was run after her and hold her in his arms. he wanted to tell her how much he loved her. He did love her, didn't he?

_More than anything in the world..._

"Here."

"Hmm?"

She placed a plate of curry in front of him. "Your dinner."

"Oh, right. Thanks."

"You sure you're alright? You're really out of it, tonight."

"I'm fine. I've just got lots of things on my mind, you know?"

"Tell me."

Zelos stared at her, his eyebrows raised. "You really want to know?"

"I know that you're not actually thinking about your wonderful hunnies who are waiting for you in Meltokio, Zelos. What's up?"

"Can't fool you, can I?"

"No, you can't," she said. "Even though sometimes I wish you could."

_Oh, but I have fooled you. I've fooled you with the facade that I must permanently wear._

"Oh, why do you say that?"

"Because sometimes you say things that I wish were true."

"Like what?"

"...Never mind."

"Like 'I love you'?" he asked nonchalantly. He took a bite of his curry as if he didn't say anything important.

"U-Uhmm..."

"You wanted to believe me when I said that a few years ago, didn't you...Shihna?"

It felt weird saying her name. He usually called her his "voluptuous hunny" or "violent demonic banshee". Why didn't he call her by her name? It was so beautiful, just like her...

Damn it.

"Were you lying to me when you told me that you did?" she asked after a moment of silence.

He considered whether he should tell her the truth or not.

"No, I wasn't," he answered, being careful not to look her in the eyes. _I really wasn't..._

"And now?"

Zelos' heart seemed to stop beating. _Now? I love you more and more every day, and I want to stop, but I can't. I want to spend every second of my life with you, but I know all I will do is hurt you if I do._

_I wish I could tell you..._

_I wish I could tell you why I left you._

_Why I broke my heart and then broke my own ten times more..._

"You still love me, don't you?" Shihna mumbled. She said it so quietly that it sounded more like she was asking herself.

"I wish that I didn't," Zelos said. "But I can't stop."

"Then why'd you leave?..." she asked, fiddling with her obi nervously. "Why did you suddenly break up with me?"

"I'll tell you when this is all over, okay? Now really isn't a good time."

"Okay..."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. I can wait."

"You should go back. The other probably think that I kidnapped you." He pointed out that they were sitting quite far away from the rest of the party.

"Mm...it's fine." She rested her head on his shoulder. "I think I'll stay here a little longer."

"O-Okay," he mumbled. Damn it, why did she have to feel so good? She was so warm, and she smelled like lavender. He could wrap his arm around her, bury his face in her hair...

But the moment was over before he could do anything. Shihna was already picking up their empty plates and heading back to the others.

"Hey," he called.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly he didn't know what to say any more. "Uh...I...uhh..."

What the hell was wrong with him? Calling out to her even though he had nothing to say...but he did have things to say. Too many. Agh, what the hell? Was he going to say anything or not? She was waiting for him to open his mouth, damn it! What happened to the Zelos that always knew what to say?

"Uhh...thanks," he mumbled. "For...waiting."

Shihna shook her head. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it. It's better for us to wait for a better time to talk about all this, right?"

"...Yeah."

"Don't worry about things too much. Everybody will think something's wrong if you're not being loud and idiotic."

He chuckled softly. "Okay."

_Thank you, _he told her again silently. _For giving me one more chance..._

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Holy crap, it's been a long time since I've updated. D: Well...I've been pretty busy with a bunch of things, and my mind's been all "kaboom!"

And I've had writer's block. That doesn't help things. This is about as close to decent as I can get for the time being. DX I'm just...stuck. I don't like how I write any more. (I don't think I ever really did.) So please be patient with me. I'll do my best to get over it! :3


	66. Dear Snow

DISCLAIMER: "Dear Snow" is property of Arashi/Johnny's Entertainment/Johnny Kitagawa the tyrannical executive producer. If I owned Arashi everything would go to hell. Also, many thanks to yarukizero from livejournal for letting me use her translation. ;3;

* * *

_"Your lovely face was dyed in brilliant colors._

_I came to know my weak side because I met you by chance."_

He remembered that night in Flanoir almost a year ago. That night that seemed forever ago, when he debated with himself over which side to choose. Cruxis or Lloyd and the others? Cruxis was stronger and was most likely to win, and they did promise him that they would release him of his fate as Chosen. It seemed to be the obvious choice.

Yet...

He glanced at the raven-haired ninja standing next to him, the street lights of Flanoir casting a warm glow on her face. If he abandoned Lloyd for Cruxis, then he'd never be able to be near her ever again. At the very least, she would never want to see him again. If she lived.

_"If I'm crushed by the pain that is too much to carry,_

_the feelings that couldn't reach you will only get stronger."_

And she still didn't know. She didn't know how he really felt about her. He never told her why he kept his distance from her, why he wouldn't let his real emotions show. It was all because of the church and his stupid title. But she would be in danger if he told.

Not like that would've mattered if he picked Cruxis.

_"The snow is simply quiet. Similar to you,_

_it fluttered onto my shoulder, and I smile gently._

_Because if I were to touch it with my hand, it would surely disappear._

_I'll leave it where it is and alone, close my eyes to feel you."_

Zelos snapped back into reality as white flakes of snow started falling from the sky. "Damn it. I was going to leave for Altamira tomorrow so I could avoid the snow," he grumbled. He flinched as a snowflake landed on his shoulder, shocking him with how cold it was. He sighed, and turned to go back inside. How lonely his house was when he was the only person in it; he had given Sebastian a vacation so he could spend time with his family.

He flopped down on his bed. "Maybe I should just go to sleep," he mumbled to himself. Not like it would matter if he fell asleep. His thoughts would continue to bother him in his dreams anyway. _Why did I do that anyway?_

_"I tenderly kissed your sleeping face._

_I couldn't say it honestly, hiding my shaking heart."_

He hadn't said anything that night in Flanoir. All he did was stare at her face as she marveled at the flakes falling from the sky. He desperately wanted to say something, but he just couldn't bring himself to. Why did being honest have to be so hard?

Later on that night, he sneaked into her room. He had convinced himself that he was just checking to see if she was asleep so she wouldn't catch him talking to Kratos, but deep down he knew this wasn't the case.

"Who would've thought that she'd be so cute when she's asleep?" he asked himself, brushing a few strands of hair away from her face.

"You're going to hate me for a while tomorrow, but I promise that I'll come back and explain everything to you," he whispered. _What a coward_, he thought to himself. _Confessing to a girl that's sleeping..._

He even surprised himself with what he did next. "Sweet dreams, my princess." He leaned down to kiss her softly on the forehead. _And now I'm gonna leave before I decide to do any more stupid things, and she wakes up and kills me._

Zelos opened his eyes, the luggage that he had packed for his trip to Altamira catching his eyes. "I must be crazy."

He jumped out of bed, slipping on a coat and tying a scarf around his neck. A smile lit his face as he was reminded of that Christmas night when Shihna had nervously thrust a package into his arms, scolding him for thinking that the present inside was for Lloyd.

He ignored the more logical side of himself who was trying to convince him that it was an absolutely moronic idea to leave at this hour, especially with the _snow_ outside. _Shut up,_ he told it. _It'll be fine._ He locked the door behind him, and proceeded to walk down the streets of Meltokio, which were almost completely covered in white.

_"If I just believe that smile and hold you,_

_the sky will echo with the sound of a miracle."_

She had been so angry with him after he had "betrayed" them. Of course she was. That was the natural reaction to have. Even after he had explained everything, she still held a grudge for days. Days of silence, in which she didn't respond to anything he said. It hurt more than when she slapped him for his inappropriate comments. He would've rather had her release the wrath of a summon spirit on him, rather than be oppressed by her silence.

Sure, he had been working for Cruxis the entire time...but in the end he chose them. That had to count for something right?

But eventually she forgave him. After countless hours of trying to regain her trust, she was finally smiling at him again. He had been so happy about it that he had impulsively given her a hug. She hit him for that of course.

But it was worth it...

_"My burning white passion went astray on the wind and soared higher._

_I wonder if it will follow you to the distance place where you are."_

He remembered the gentleness of her smile, as he directed his rheaird towards, not Altamira, but the village of Mizuho. "I hope she doesn't mind that I'm visiting."

He didn't really have any explanation for it. He just wanted to see her.

_"If you wish it, I'll offer you myself._

_Entrust me with all the sadness that befalls you."_

He just wanted her to be happy, even if it meant that he had to sacrifice himself for it. Even though he was reluctant to admit that...

Why was he even here anyway knocking on her door late at night, without even giving her notice about coming over? He must've had a death wish.

The door slid open.

Shihna stood in the doorway, confusion etched all over her features. "Zelos? What are you doing here? I thought you were going to Altamira tomorrow."

"Well, yeah...but I kinda had a change of plans. Can I come in?"

Shihna stepped aside to let him through, the confused expression still on her face. "Well, now that you're inside, do you want to explain why you're he-"

He interrupted her sentence, impulsively throwing his arms around her in a hug. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Can I just...talk for a bit?"

Shihna nodded into his shoulder, awkwardly hugging him back. She shivered slightly as his cold cheek touched hers.

_"So that we can welcome the spring, we hold each other close._

_If we melt away, we won't need anything."_

"I know this is kind of sudden, but it's been bothering me. I've been wanting to say this for such a long time, but never got the chance to." He let out a nervous sigh. "The reason why I broke up with you a few years ago wasn't because I didn't love you any more. The church wanted to get rid of you, and they told me if I didn't push you away then they would kill you. I couldn't let that happen so I started flirting with other girls to pretend that I didn't care about you any more. I just...wanted you to be safe even if it meant that you would hate me. I just...you did hate me, didn't you? When I did that?"

"Believe me, I tried," Shihna mumbled. "But I couldn't bring myself to. I think I cared about you too much to actually hate you no matter what stupid, cruel-hearted things you did."

"...Am I forgiven then?"

"I suppose so," she answered.

"Can I ask you one more thing?"

"Sure."

"Is it okay if I stay here for my winter vacation instead?"

"In case you haven't noticed, it snows here as well. It wouldn't be much different than staying in Meltokio."

"Well...I was hoping that I could get over my little issue with snow if I could spend the winter with you," he answered. "If that's alright with you."

"Well, I guess it's okay. I'm all alone here anyway."

_"We can't wish for eternity."_

"...Can I say just one morething?"

"Yes, Zelos," Shihna grumbled impatiently. "I'm already regretting that I'm letting you stay here for a few monthes. I'd forgotten how much you talk."

He chuckled softly. "I'll be quick, I promise."

"Yeah?..."

_"But even so..."_

He pulled away far enough to plant a kiss on her forehead. _"You are the person dearest to me."_

SakuMeiMei Says: Wow. It's been, what? Over a year? It's amazing how fast time passed by while I wasn't writing for this thing.

Well, the reason why I haven't written anything in such a long time is...I've had way too many things going on with my life and couldn't find the time or the inspiration to write.

The entire time that I wasn't writing I was too depressed to write anything decent even though I tried several times. For some reason, I felt that somehow Zelos and Shihna had become something that reminded me of all the things I didn't want to think about. So I stopped writing.

But I think that feeling has lifted a little bit, so maybe now I'll be able to start writing again. Honestly, I haven't been this happy in a long time. They've filled a bit of that empty space inside of me that I had when I was avoiding them.

SO I SHALL WRITE MORE. I PROMISE.


	67. Fairy Tale

She hated parties. She especially hates parties that she had to dress up for. Especially when they didn't let her choose her dress...

_I can't believe they classify this as appropriate for an occassion like this._ She tugged on the skirt, annoyed at how short it was. _I feel like a prostitute in this thing..._

Shihna had slipped away from a party that the king had held for them because they had rescued princess Hilda. Of course, Zelos had taken all of the credit for it. He was probably retelling the story of how they rescued the princess, embelleshing it to make his role in it even more prominent than it really was. And of course, everybody would cling to his every word, and the princess would fawn over him and...

And she was outside, sitting on a bench in the garden all by herself, in an outfit she was dying to change out of and shoes that were so uncomfortable that cutting her feet off seemed like a logical solution to end her pain.

And he wouldn't care.

Not like it mattered because she didn't care if he cared or not.

What he did or how he felt wasn't her concern at all. Not one bit. The princess could bat her eyelashes at him all she liked because she _didn't care._

She was just going to sit on this bench and enjoy the fresh air as much as she could, despite her hatred for fancy parties and the outfit she was wearing.

"Oh, there you are."

Well, that plan just shattered to pieces.

"I was worried about you," the red-headed Chosen said, sitting down next to her. "Why are you sitting outside all by yourself?"

_I'm sitting out here because your fanclub keeps on glaring at me, and are most likely making up rumours about me right now. The men aren't much better because they're flirtatious idiots just like you. _"I got a little sick of the party so I wanted to be alone for a while," she replied, biting back the words she really wanted to say. "And what are _you _doing here?"

"I was a little concerned about my voluptuous hunny so I went looking for you."

"Well, you found me so you can go back to your adoring fans now," she grumbled. "I'm sure the princess misses her knight in shining armor."

"Oh, is the peasant jealous?" he teased her playfully.

"Not particularly. The peasant doesn't care for philandering knights anyway."

"Perhaps the philandering knight isn't as bad as you think he is."

"Or perhaps he's worse than I thought," she grumbled. "Now leave me alone."

"...The knight doesn't necessarily have to stay with the princess, you know."

"The peasant doesn't expect the knight to leave his princess," Shihna mumbled, turning away from him.

"She doesn't expect him to...but he can."

"Fairy tales don't end that way."

"Ours can."

Time seemed to stop as she heard him murmur those two simple words. She hesitated, fumbling for words that she could say in response. "B-But it won't because we're living in reality," she stuttered.

"I can't turn this story into a reality?" Zelos asked, turning her face towards his with his hand. "Or are you just scared because having me by your side might be more difficult to deal with than watching me be with someone else?"

"I-Idiot. You know that it'd be impossible for me to have a relationship with you," she grumbled, frustrated with the blush that was spreading across her face from the touch of his gloved fingers. "You're the Chosen, and I'm just an outcast from Mizuho. We're not meant to-"

"None of that ever mattered to you before," he interrupted. "It shouldn't matter now. Besides, after we save the world...I'm not going to be the Chosen any more. I can be with who I want to be with."

"Your fanclub is going to be in tears over that," she stated sarcastically, pushing his arm away. "And the princess too."

"They'll get over it. I'll probably be forgotten once they find their next target." He held back the desire to laugh at how Shihna was constantly making comments about Hilda. She was so stubborn about her feelings. "As for the princess, we're...not like that."

"Maybe she doesn't think that way."

"Even if she doesn't, I can't return her feelings anyway. There's a gorgeous commoner that I've got my eyes on."

"Geez, go back to the party and use your cheesy lines on somebody who will actually fall for them," she grumbled, punching him in the shoulder lightly.

"Only if you come back with me." He stood up and held out his hand. "My beautiful, well-endowed princess."

"Idiot," Shihna grumbled, ignoring his gesture. "I never said that I'd be your princess."

"Your eyes told me that you would be," Zelos said, ignoring her protests as he took her hand in his. "Let's go, your highness."

"You stupid, philandering knight..."

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Merry Christmas! This is completely unrelated to Christmas...or winter even. XD

I enjoyed writing about a sarcastic and cynical Shihna. She's so cute. The last half of this was hard to write, but overall I'm happy with how it turned out. Happy, I am. :3

I might do something New Year's related if I find the time.


	68. New Beginning

"Happy New Year," Shihna mumbled to herself, settling down on her back porch. She had decided to welcome the coming of the new year by herself, feeling that she wasn't really up to the idea of going to a big party in celebration. While most of the residents of Mizuho had gone to Meltokio to see the fireworks, Shihna was staring at her frozen backyard, the plants sleeping under a thin layer of snow. She breathed on her hands in a futile attempt to keep them warm.

Part of her regretted not going to see the fireworks, but she reminded herself that she couldn't really stand large groups of people, especially when she was in Meltokio. There was always a judgemental atmosphere surrounding the rich, narcissitic members of the noble class. Zelos' fanclub was especially difficult to deal with, their glares constantly burning a hole in the back of her head, accusing her of having a "relationship" with their precious Master Zelos.

She hugged her knees, trying to stop her shivering. _I wonder if this is a reflection of how my entire year is going to go by...sitting here all by myself._

Her thoughts were interrupted by a slight rustling noise. She turned to see a certain red-headed Chosen walking towards her. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to stay in Meltokio for the new year."

"I happened to meet Orochi, and he told me that you had stayed in Mizuho," he answered, sitting down next to her. "I thought that you might be lonely so I decided to come visit."

"I'm fine, really. I just didn't want to deal with a big group of people today," she said. "You sure you're okay with missing the fireworks?"

"I was going to end up watching them alone anyway. My hunnies are pretty persistent on New Year's Eve, so I try to avoid them."

"Well, you're probably in the best place for avoiding them. There's almost nobody here."

"Yeah..." He undid his scarf and held it towards her. "Here. You're cold aren't you?"

"It's fine! I don't need it," she protested, pushing his arm away.

"You're shivering," he pointed out, wrapping the scarf around her neck. "Why do you have to be so stubborn all the time?"

"I-I'm not!" she grumbled, trying to hide her face in the scarf, which was still warm with Zelos' body heat.

"See? You're stubborn about admitting it too!"

"...Shut up," she mumbled. "I stayed at home today so I wouldn't have to have annoying conversations with people like you."

"Heh heh...sorry." He poked her in the cheek playfully. "I can't resist bothering you though. Your reactions are always so cute."

She pulled away and smacked him in the face. "Idiot!"

"Oooowww," he groaned, rubbing his cheek. "That part of the reaction I could do without."

Shihna ignored him and tried to stuff her hands in the sleeves of her coat to keep them warm.

"You should wear warmer clothes if you get cold so easily," Zelos murmured in her ear. While she wasn't looking, he had shifted to sit behind her. He pulled her into his lap. "Or did you do that on purpose because you knew I'd come by and warm you up?"

"Idiot, of course not!" she growled, trying to squirm out of his grip. "Let go!"

"No way," he answered, resting his chin on her shoulder. "You're gonna freeze to death if I do."

"Don't be so dramatic! I'm fine!"

"Are you?" he asked. "You're really okay?"

"Why do I get the feeling that you're not asking about how cold I am?"

"I was going to invite you to watch the fireworks with me, you know..." Zelos went on, ignoring her question. "But Orochi told me that you stayed in Mizuho so I got worried."

"Well, as you can see I'm perfectly fine so you can go back now," she grumbled, still trying to get out of his arms. "Now let go before I hit you and ruin your supposedly beautiful face."

"Aw, you think my face is beautiful? Thank you darling," he purred, slipping his hands over hers. "But I'm not letting go."

"You're sure about that?"

"Yup."

One thing Zelos never seemed to learn every year was to assume that he had won. Before he could even react, Shihna had elbowed him in the ribs, and smacked him in the face.

"Oooow! Shihna, you're so meeeeeaaan," he cried, rubbing his injured face as she started heading back inside.

"And you're an idiot," she replied, covering her mouth with her hand to hide her smile. "Now hurry up and come inside. You're going to catch a cold if you stay out there."

"...You were the one who was sitting outside in the first place," he whined, getting up to follow her into the house. "Oh...right. There's something I forgot to say to you."

"What?"

"Happy New Year," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her on the cheek.

* * *

SakuMeiMei Says: Wow, I actually finished it in time. (Kind of.) This one veered off in a slightly different direction than what I was aiming for, but that's okay. I haven't written something where Shihna has violently assaulted Zelos in a while. XD

And while everybody's on the subject of "new" things, I have an announcement to make! "1000 Wishes" will be coming to an end fairly soon. I've been thinking about it for a while now, and I've decided that it's for the best that I bring it to an end. The me that started writing this, and the me now are very different from each other and it's evident in the way we write. That being said though, it doesn't mean that I'm stopping writing about Zelos and Shihna altogether. (How could I? I love them so much. XD) I already have a new series of oneshots planned, and I will be starting it soon after this collection is finished.

That being said, it'll probably still be at least a month or two (probably more) until I start the next series. There are still quite a few stories that I want to fit into this collection, stories that I've had ideas for from the very beginning of this.

Lastly, thank you to all of my readers. Some of you have been reading from the very beginning of this series of oneshots, and I am very thankful for it. I would've stopped writing this altogether if it wasn't for support from all of you.

Happy New Year! :3


End file.
